Lenten Preparation

Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays

The Catholic is entering the second of three principal feasts of the Ecclesiastical Year. Just as the Jews of old observed feasts besides the Sabbath to commemorate important events in their history, so Christ fulfills this tradition when the Catholic Church annually recalls events in Our Lord's life on earth with vivid representations, especially in the ceremonies during Holy Week (Spirago and Clark, 1921). The aspect of nature corresponds to these festivals. In Advent the nights are longer than the days and the life of vegetation is awaiting its break from dormancy as in the spiritual order before the coming of Christ. After Christmas the days begin to lengthen as the birth of Christ brings light to the world. At Easter nature awakens to new life during spring as Christ rises gloriously from the dead. At Pentecost vegetation is in full beauty of leaf and blossom as the coming of the Holy Spirit brings a fresh era for mankind with the birth of the Church (Spirago and Clark, 1921).

Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Dia del Mal Ejemplo (made that last one up), are terms that, to some, describe the last day of 'freedom' before Lent begins the following morning, Ash Wednesday. However this was not always the case in Catholic history. For many Catholics 40 days of Lent would begin 50, 60, even 70 days before the blessed event. So let's quickly go through the Lenten season.

First of all, the main event is Easter Sunday, the day Jesus Christ - God incarnate, defeated death and rose from the dead on His own Divine Power. The Feast of the Resurrection is what Lent functions to prepare the soul for. Why is this such an important day to mankind? Is it because we perform our social economic responsibility each year to help the global chocolate economy? Do we merely enjoy the ritual of dressing up and going to mass as a folksy family tradition? Is it the thought of having family spend a day of feverishly turning over rocks and dead branches to snatch up a coveted piece of candy? Although these predictable happenings on Easter seem like the only result of our celebrations, the cosmic event of the Resurrection of the Divine Redeemer sends spiritual shock waves through the cosmos.

The Resurrection is the shot that was heard across the universe. Without the Resurrection, life would be a primitive, dark, and barbaric underworld. We see how only in the nations who have rejected the Resurrection, their life has been a primitive violent world. On the other hand, the nations that embraced the Resurrection have flourished with the light of Christ. Those same western nations, now turning full circle and threatening to deny the Resurrection, are seeing their world change before their eyes into an empty shell of itself. A wilted rose under a dark cloud. Why is the denial of the Resurrection such an afront against God? Why is the denial of Christ seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven such a rude gesture of ingratitude? Why does our civilization begin to fall apart on itself when it denies the Saviour's works?


It can be revealed in what the Redeemer left for us, His Church, when She reminds us each year of the gratitude we owe to God and our dependence upon Him each Lent. It is chiefly during Lent that we embrace in the sufferings that Christ endured to save the world. Only by sharing in Christ's Passion can we truly appreciate His accomplishment. The accomplishment of correcting a wrong by a finite being - Adam against an infinite Being - God the Creator. For 4,000 years the human race awaited for the Lord to come. When the Messiah arrived in a manger in Bethlehem, He was the long awaited Redeemer promised by God to Adam and Eve, and the fulfillment of Israel's hope.

However, when we commemorate the Incarnation on Christmas Day, the Nativity only marks the beginning of Christ's works. His greatest achievement in terms of cosmic significance to the human race was his Passion, Death, and Resurrection into Heaven. Like a father who grueled a blizzard to bring his starving children food for the winter, Christ was scourged, humiliated, and crucified to bring His spiritually starved children the food of the Sacraments and the means of salvation. The father after accomplishing his task, awaits his children to accomplish their's - to simply chew the food the father provided. God's children, who now have the long awaited nourishment at our fingertips must do our part to reap the benefits of our Lord's sacrifice just as the child chews the long awaited food to nourish their starving bodies. The graces received during Lent are received only by the grace of the Precious Blood of Christ - His suffering and death.

The preparation for Lent includes the three Sundays called respectively, Septuagesima (70 days), Sexagesima (60 days), and Quinquagesima (50 days before Easter). They were so named because in the early days of Christianity many communities began the fast seventy, sixty, or seventy days before Easter. The Wednesday after Quinquagesima is called Ash Wednesday because of the ceremony of sprinkling ashes upon the foreheads of the faithful. On Ash Wednesday the season of Lent commences (Spirago and Clark, 1921). It is 46 days before Easter, thus the number of days is completed without the six Sundays, on which we do not fast - they are true days of rest.

Lent beginning on Septuagesima Sunday, that is, 3 weeks before Easter, has its roots in Eastern tradition. The Eastern calendar regarded both Saturday and Sunday as festival days, and therefore as exempt from the Lenten fast. So in order to complete the forty days of Lent, the Greeks anticipated the penitential season by some weeks, and from this Sunday (70 days before Easter) onward abstained from meat. When the Latin Rite began Lent on Ash Wednesday, the devout wished for more. St. Gregory therefore instituted, or at least gave definite form to a cycle of three weeks' preparation for Lent - Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays (Lasance, 1945).

During Lent the public life of Our Lord is set before us - His forty day fast in the desert, His Passion and death. And so we continue with the second season of the Ecclesiastical Year. We recall Our Lord's life on earth as we fast 40 days with Christ and at Easter rise again with Him (Spirago and Clark, 1921).

In preparation for Lent, the Catholic can therefore legitimately begin Lenten meditations, abstain from meat, fast, or perform other penitential and spiritual devotions as early as Septuagesima. A great devotion for preparing for Lent, and subsequently, Easter, is the meditation on the Way of the Cross. In this devotion, an individual or group passes from station to station reciting prayers and meditating on each incident, or at least on the passion of Christ in general . It is thought that the Stations originated as a way that those unable to travel might follow the pilgrimage route in Jerusalem, the "Via Dolorosa" (The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia). The best method, I have found, is to set aside at least a 1/2 to 1 hour's time inside a quiet Catholic Church that displays reverent artistic representayions of the 14 Stations of the Cross on its walls. A prayer book or meditation guide covering the 14 Stations, should have a description of the Station, a reflection, and accompanying prayers to spiritually participate in Christ's Via Dolorosa.

If a Catholic Church is not available, a good online source is 'The Way of the Cross in Jerusalem'. Maintained by The Franciscans of the Holy Land and Malta on Franciscan Cyberspot. The individual can view online the actual sacred sites in Jerusalem that make up the Way of the Cross. From home one can pray and meditate at each Station. The website points out:

"It is essentially a devotional exercise, a means which men and women can use to make contact with God, to adore Him, to thank Him, to increase their love for Him. Devotion to the sufferings of Christ, is particularly recommended for all who wish to live "upon the model of that charity which Christ showed to us when he gave himself up on our behalf" (Eph 6,2) . . . what really matters is to follow Christ on the Way of the Cross of his Passion, as humble companions."

Sources:

Rev. Spirago, Francis; Rev. Clarke, Richard F. S.J., 1899. The Catechism Explained - An Exhaustive Exposition of the Catholic Religion; Tan Books and Publisher, Inc. 1993; p. 359-361.

Rev. Lasance, Francis Xavier, 1945. The New Roman Missal. Christian Book Club of America 1993; p. 1641.

Christians Expelled by Liberal Socialists

How deep can liberal socialists sink in the mud of deception? They believe they are gods inventing a new world and crafting new morality - except they are not creating. Liberals take what is already created by the One True God and try making a lie out of it, replacing reality with their fantasy world. Replacing God's covenant for mankind with their own devised covenant.

The latest casualty is the modern misrepresentation of Mother Teresa and Catholicism. The twisted facts include examples from the past and present (read article here). This is their pompous ambition, to broadcast to the world that Catholicism somehow endorses liberalism and therefore, the entire world must agree that socialists have nothing but the purest intentions. This theme of crowd pleasing is woven into the hearts of history's greatest tyrants.

Modern tyrants seek an approach called socialism or secular humanism. Their crafty twisting of the real world around them molded and formed to advance their agenda is what they have to do, I guess to stay alive. Otherwise, nobody in their right mind would subscribe to their twisted view of humanity. That is, unless reeducated by the socialist reeducation camps of the American school system and public media.

Without these Youth Camps no socialist liberal would rise to power with such ease (as Adolf Hitler did). No socialist viewpoint would be taken seriously. No mother would ever consider killing her own child through abortion. No population would justify abortion as a 'right' alongside noble freedoms such as free speech and religion. Religion would not be replaced by Secularism. The populace would keep the Faith of their Fathers and renounce moral decadence. There would be no tampering with the sacred institution of marriage. The civilian masses would counsel against, not approve of alternative lifestyles. The population would not have a cynical opinion of the middle ages, the Crusades, and Catholicism while simultaneously giving ear to outrageous conspiracy theories (find out more on true history of the middle ages here). History books would remain fair and objective. Catholicism would be taught as Religion in modern Catholic schools instead of alternative religions. The truth would not be redefined as a vague anomaly that can be invented by anyone and formed according to one's imagination. No, the world would acknowledge their inferiority to a higher power in heaven and strive to please the One who created them. No person would water down the truth to advance a novelty. This would be the world without the glamor of liberalism; without the false promises, pomps, and deceits of socialism.

One misnomer made by liberal revisionists is labeling Adolph Hitler a 'right wing extremist'. Wrong. Hitler was a socialist. In fact, his party, The National Socialist German Workers Party's ideology, stressed the racial purity of the German people and persecuted anyone it perceived as either an enemy or Lebensunwertes Leben, that is "life unworthy of life" (those considered to be "deviant" or a "source of social turmoil") in pursuit of a "Greater Germany". This concept was summarized by the author of Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton when he explained the Nazi policy:

"Of the five identifiable steps by which the Nazis carried out the principle of "life unworthy of life," coercive sterilization was the first. There followed the killing of “impaired” children in hospitals; and then the killing of “impaired” adults, mostly collected from mental hospitals, in centers especially equipped with carbon monoxide gas. This project was extended (in the same killing centers) to “impaired” inmates of concentration and extermination camps and, finally, to mass killings, mostly of Jews, in the extermination camps themselves."

More than 400,000 people were sterilized against their will and between 75,000 and 250,000 killed because of an intellectual or physical disability under Nazi Germany's Aktion T4 program. Eerily similar to our many, newly created, liberal American government social programs, Nazi Germany's grim Aktion T4 program was headquartered under the State's social program entitled 'General Foundation for Welfare and Institutional Care'.

Sounds strikingly too familiar. 'Planned Parenthood' targets single mothers, the lower class, and minorities in pursuit of a "Greater America". Mothers and Fathers are told that disabled unborn children will live a 'substandard lifestyle' and encourage abortion. A sort of Nazi cleansing of an unwanted populace. What 'standard' are they referring to? The secular utopia of a socialist dreamland where God is dead, morality annulled, and tyranny rules.

Emperor Nero is another example of one who attempted to rewrite the truth to advance his personal agenda. According to Wikipedia, Tacitus, who witnessed the events of the Great Fire in Rome recorded that the population searched for a scapegoat and rumors held Nero responsible. To diffuse blame, Nero targeted a sect called the Christians. He ordered Christians to be thrown to dogs, while others were crucified and burned. Tactitus recorded:

"Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace . . . Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired." (The Annals, Tacitus, Book XV)

Likened to Adolph Hitler and Nero, socialists rewrite history, twist the present, and lie about the future. They've squirmed their way into politics, religion, schools, and western philosophy by misrepresenting the facts. Truth is always the casualty when liberals get their hands on world events.

The Past

Trumping up stories about intolerance, ignorance, and outright buffoonery during the Middle Ages is a popular play liberals use to demean Roman Catholicism. Myth after myth have been debunked as summarized in part here. Regine Pernoud's book, Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths is an excellent source for those seeking objectivity. The fact is that civilization during the Middle Ages was civilized and contributed to the greatest breakthroughs in Science, Architecture, Mathematics, and Literature. Liberals just don't like the kind of results it produced like St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, which accomplished in philosophy what centuries of experts couldn't, including Aristotle and Plato.

The Present

Take Nancy Pelosi. As the first female Speaker of the House and a Catholic, she now fashions herself to be the crowned spokesperson for the Catholic Church. She blatantly exploits her Catholic roots for the socialist cause as reported here. LifeSite News reported:

Following the discovery of an ad for a sadomasochistic street parade in San Francisco which mocked the Last Supper replacing Christ and His Apostles with leather-clad (and unclad) homosexuals, Concerned Women for America (CWA) and other groups called on California legislators to denounce the anti-Christianity. Rather than denounce the ad, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has derisively dismissed any concerns.

Drew Hammill, Pelosi's press secretary, responded to media questions on the offensive ad saying, "As a Catholic, the speaker is confident that Christianity has not been harmed."

'As a Catholic' Nancy Pelosi says? Since when does Nancy Pelosi hold the patent on Catholicism? Why doesn't Drew Hammill or Pelosi ask for Pope Benedict's opinion? Reason: liberals use Catholicism to their own fancy, not to do justice to the truth. Nancy Pelosi's pro-abortion position, in clear contradiction to the Church's moral teaching, hardly puts her in a position to convincingly speak for Catholics. On CNN's "Inside Politics," November 14, Nancy Pelosi, the new House Minority Leader, said, "Yes, I'm a liberal Democrat, but I'm a conservative Catholic." Her comment was also cited in today's edition of USA Today, November 15. The Catholic League blasted Pelosi's false self-characterization noting her pro-abortion views extend even to defending partial birth abortion. Catholic League president William Donohue said, "In short, Pelosi's spin game is insulting. No conservative Catholic we know okays the killing of kids 80 percent born."

Another provocative statement from Nancy Pelosi came with her reply to how her pro-abortion political stance squares with the very Faith she claims to follow. She replied, "To me it isn't even a question. God has given us a free will. We're all responsible for our actions. If you don't want an abortion, you don't believe in it, [then] don't have one. But don't tell somebody else what they can do in terms of honoring their responsibilities." Sorry Speaker of the House, but when it comes to faith and morals, as a Catholic you're no longer Speaker, the Church is. And this was the Church's reply to Nancy's flaunts:

"It is categorically impossible for the same person to state that he or she believes simultaneously both what the Catholic Church teaches and that abortion is just a choice." - Bishop Robert Vasa of the Diocese of Baker

When Nancy says, "But don't tell somebody else what they can do in terms of honoring their responsibilities" shall we no longer charge parents for child abuse who leave their neglected children in 4 week old dirty diapers and dying of starvation so the parents can feed their drug addiction? Shall we not prosecute Amanda Yates for drowning her own flesh and blood, ages 1 to 7? After all, according to Nancy's twisted logic, we wouldn't want to tell these deadbeat parents 'what they can do in terms of honoring their responsibilities'. Now let's take Hillary Clinton. When she ran a campaign add showing (according to a LifeSite news article) a photo of Hillary waving beside Blessed Mother Teresa as the narrator, Clinton’s husband, former US President Bill Clinton, said “Hillary in effect, was the face of America, in Africa, in India…” Immediately after the picture there followed a clip of Hillary declaiming before the International Conference on Women in Beijing, “It is no longer acceptable to discuss women’s rights as separate from human rights.” Blessed Mother Teresa, however, vehemently opposed equating abortion with either women’s rights or human rights and sent a letter to the same conference stating that “Motherhood is the gift of God to women” and that it is destroyed “by the evil of abortion.” - LifeSite News, Peter J. Smith, Friday June 15, 2007.

In a different conference in February of 1994 at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, Mother Teresa spoke to American politicians about the greatest injustice:

"...If we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?...Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion." Click for complete transcript.

While the audience gave a boisterous round of applause for Mother Teresa, Bill Clinton and his wife, Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper sat stubbornly quiet in protest. Read here for full account of the Conference. Mother Teresa also remarked about the country pushing liberalism across the globe:

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign." (Mother Theresa -- "Notable and Quotable," Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94, p. A14)

Yet, with Mother Teresa gone before us from this world, the liberal politicians who support abortion are using her to promote their political career. And what is at the heart of their ambitions? To protect a woman's right to 'choose' murder. What about a man's right to 'choose' rape? "Well, that's just preposterous" says the pro-choicer, "the woman doesn't choose to be raped, she's a victim." Mother Teresa's point exactly . . . the child in the case of abortion is a victim. No child chooses to die. No man should be so sexually selfish as to rape women just as no woman should be so sexually selfish as to kill children. There is no justification for abortion . . . that is unless you share Adolph Hitler's vision of a "Greater Germany". Fathers should man up and protect their children, born and unborn. Women need to embrace their nurturing nature and love the child growing within. If we are hard pressed for examples of heroic mothers, we need go no further than our recent heroine Lorraine Allard who unselfishly gave her full life to give a new little one the chance she had (read article here).

The Future

What the future holds for America can only be viewed in light of how historical socialists took over their governments. It all begins with an idea, a novelty, and a 'vision' of a 'Greater ________' (fill nation here). History repeats itself and we are seeing a repeat of the rise of the Nazi regime in America called Socialism. The enforcement of socialism is nothing more than communism. Individuality is condemned, religion oppressed, and Christians persecuted. God help us if we lose this struggle.

Fun with Christmas Toys

A Rodeo Allegory

Ranching was the only life the seven McDermott boys knew in eastern Oklahoma. Unlike other children in modern America, the McDermott's grew up in a religious home with its most prominent display of, not a large plasma TV, but rather a life sized statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, their spiritual Mother in Heaven.

Mrs. McDermott would tell her children:

"Jesus, our Lord, is both God and Man. Jesus proved this by his many miracles - the most important proof was when He rose from the dead. The Apostle St. Thomas didn't believe this last miracle until he saw Jesus. Then Thomas said to Him, 'My Lord and my God.' As God, Jesus fulfilled the promise of a Redeemer God made to Adam after Adam sinned that day long ago in the Garden of Eden. This is why Christmas is so special - we celebrate God becoming man to save us from the sin we inherited from Adam. He came to correct Adam's wrong and reopen the gates of Heaven for you and me, giving us, as God promised, the New Covenant, His Church. As Man, Jesus - the new Adam - gave the human race a new start and showed us how to follow God's Covenant and how to please the Father in Heaven. Since Christ was both Man and God, He perfectly kept the commandments including the 4th: Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother. Since Jesus is the new Adam, he is our good brother in the human race, therefore we should honor the Father in Heaven and honor our Mother in Heaven, Mary. After all, what Kingdom has a King, but no Queen? When you boys get big, you keep our family photo albums, there are wonderful memories in them. You also keep this statue of your other family member, Mary. She's family too, together with all the Saints in Heaven. Our statues are like our family photo albums."

Childhood memories on this Catholic ranch involved the rigors of ranch life - throwing hay, stretching fence, rounding strays on horseback - but it also included the tranquility of working the land that God created and prayer. As they grew older they became top hands and developed a reputation of fairness at their cattle sales. The harder they worked the land and invested in the gifts that God gave them, the greater their returns in both profit and spiritual growth. This devotion to duty also gave them the reputation of steadfast strength.

However Martin, took this to an irrational extreme for no good purpose. The more unscathed he emerged from each risk that he took, the more self inflated he became. As Martin grew up, his brothers around him matured in the faith while he remained rather prideful and selfish.

The oldest brothers, Peter, James, and John, grew in wisdom and piety. They successfully operated not only the 6,400 acre family-owned ranch, but also their own roping and penning arena. They volunteered to help neighboring ranchers brand and inoculate their cattle, as well as train other green cowboys to master the trade of horsemanship. The arena was also wisely used to hone their own roping, penning, and cutting job skills. All three gave thanks to God for the healthiest livestock in the state. God blessed each and every endeavor from these eldest sons and they never forgot to return God praise and thanks. They did this partly by serving at daily mass and by generously providing for their aging parents and the needs of those less fortunate around them. The McDermott brothers grew up knowing that God helps His friends, not his enemies. Although not all the brothers were as steadfast.

This morning began as usual with a low Latin mass at 0600 in the country chapel of Immaculate Conception Church.

The previous day, Martin managed to talk a professional stock contractor into letting him kennel two of the world's most popular and rankest bulls from the PBR Circuit named Vanity and his next closest kin, Pride.

Martin was much too eager to tempt fate against these dangerous beasts and even enticed his younger brother into giving his two new acquaintances a whirl in the arena. The twins, blinded by glory, wanted their own piece of the action by doing some rodeo clowning against the bulls.

Today, they offered their two younger brothers a quick trip from mass to the arena on their ATV's zooming past their older brothers who orderly walked the distance to the church.


As Peter, James, and John departed from mass blessing themselves with holy water, Martin the twins and his younger brother left in a raucous belch of exhaust from their ATV's, whooping "Let's take 'em boys!"

They arrived excitedly with their reckless ambitions for glory and daring buffoonery and to see their first glimpse of the world renowned bulls.


With a leap and a holler, the two younger brothers hastily threw their gear over the fence and dove after their fame.

While George gathered his gear he felt a whoosh under his hat and turned to watch Martin faceplant in the manure tilled earth of the arena. Shaking his head, George asked, "You okay?"


As they were gearing up George admonished Martin for his usual recklessness saying, "You know, you've gotta stop acting like you're invincible." Martin retorted, "Don't you remember that I'm older than you? Let me give you some experienced advice little brother: let a real man instruct you in the ways of life."


George replied, "Great! Where can I find one?"

After gearing up they met up with the twins who, in the meantime, outfitted themselves as rodeo clowns, ready to take on the Brahmas. They looked at the bulls and discussed the animals bucking patterns.


Vanity, a tan colored, shy looking bull, appeared harmless, young, and inexperienced, but once it was tried, would lead every bull rider down a long perilous journey through the arena. Vanity would toy with his passenger, deceptively breaking out of the chute into a predictable straight buck, deceiving the rider into thinking he can easily cover the 8 seconds and impress a full crowd. Only at 7.8 seconds when the rider thought that he triumphed in glory and honor would the bull finally dump its rider with a dramatic belly roll in full spectacle of the grandstands.

Meanwhile Peter, James, and John arrived and began a similar discussion about the popular, experienced, and notorious bull, Pride, as the bull watched out of the corner of his ugly worn out eye.


Peter leaned against the gate and explained, "Out of the seven deadliest bulls in the world, Pride has killed more men then all seven combined. There's nothing deceptive about him, you know his moves, a powerful jerk out of the chute, then he goes into a rage of twisting and spinning - always to the left - and once he's got you off he belows in triumph. It takes advantage of any mistake the rider makes. If the rider shows one flaw, Pride will eventually exploit it to your ruin. Boys, there's nothing worse than Pride. It's as if the devil himself invented him." At that the bull quickly spun around in agitation of the cowhands behind him and snorted loudly. The three brothers, all in unison, exclaimed, "Whoa!!"

Peter subsequently turned to his reckless younger brothers and cautioned, you boys better think again before trying to take on Pride and Vanity. Martin scoffed and hollered back, "load 'em up".


George was first to ride and he picked Vanity. He admitted, "Vanity appears a little less experienced, but Pride . . . well, I'm just not that brash to say I can stick a spur into him."

Peter, James, and John stated, "it's your free will, if your mind is that stubbornly set into hooking into one of the 7 deadliest bulls in the world, then we'll oblige." James helped George rosin his rope while Peter cinched it tight across George's palm. Martin merely looked on without even as much as a word of encouragement while, apprehensively awaiting his turn.

The clowns waited impatiently, repeatedly checking the time when George started to give the nod.


James jumped in and said, "Hold it, hold it. George, at least make the sign of the cross before your ride."

George wasn't that foolish or proud to admit that this was probably a good idea seeing that Vanity was a universally popular bull. So George proceeded: "In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. . . . Let's go boys!"


As meek as Vanity appeared, he charged out of the chute with a bang, meanwhile keeping its innocent appearance. It bucked straight down the arena and the ride went surprisingly well for George until he was dumped at 7.8 seconds . . . in front of the grandstands.


George emerged embarrassed and sore, but otherwise uninjured. As he later admitted, "my back hurt, my legs hurt, my arms hurt . . . heck, even my hair hurt."

Now Martin, instead of trusting in the sign of salvation, the sign of the cross, as he was instructed throughout his childhood, superstitiously dug up a used white shirt "for good luck". A superstition similar to what he had witnessed in all the sporting events he had participated in. While he changed, the twin brothers had an idea of their own: to bullfight Pride.


The quick bull turned out to be no match for the bullfighters as the bull first outran, outwitted, then overran the stumbling clown as bystanders covered their eyes in fear.


Pride proceeded to toss one, then another, and another about the arena like ragdolls.


Finally, Pride was lured into the bullpen for Martin's ride. Martin readied himself in the chute, and with his superstitious practice in operation quoted Chris Ledoux saying, "open the gate an itty bitty crack". The next scene summarized Martin's attempt with Pride.

The bull then repeated his rampage of destruction around the arena. Pride didn't care who he hurt. He even hooked into John, flicking him out of the arena and sent James running down the fenceline.


Peter, meanwhile, simply held his ground like a rock holding the rope to the gate.

Martin regained his composure and tried again, this time switching to his white hat. A gesture, he presumed, would bring him better luck.


The superstition again proved costly. As Pride exploded out of the chute Martin's rope twisted over his riding hand. Leaving him "hung up in the well."


James desperately tried to free his hand while the clowns distracted the dangerous beast. Peter even had a close call, although he never left his ground.

Exasperated, Martin gave up trying to ride pride for glory and honor. Instead, he thought he might cover 8 seconds of fame on a seemingly less provocative bull, Vanity. His superstitions continued as this time he borrowed George's riding chaps. With determination Martin completely ignored making the sign of the cross and murmured Frank Sinatra's adage, "I'll do it my way". The gate creaked open and the bull drove it open wide with its broad body.

Predictably, the bull went straight down the arena giving Martin a false sense of accomplishment and recognition. That is, until at 7.7 seconds when, in Vanity's typical fashion, the bull rejected its rider to Martin's embarrassment.

The superstitious cowboy, now fresh out of lucky combinations, save one, rubbed his old black hat for 'good luck' and thought for sure that his everyday working cover would finally produce his desired result. These silly superstitions finally caught up to the young cowboy, who certainly knew better. Vanity must have had enough when immediately out of the gate he dove into the air twisting his torso and causing the rider to slam into the ground with a thud. Then Martin was charged while everyone scrambled to rescue him.


Vanity was surprisingly unstoppable in the arena causing injuries, diving over the barrel, and trampling cowboys.


When everyone emerged they quickly penned the animals and sent them packing back to their owners. Martin, needing his hand amputated, finally admitted self defeat vowing never again to use superstition or to attempt Pride and Vanity.

Years later the brothers donated the ranch to a Carmelite convent in need of a home. Soon after they founded a Carmelite missionary order in following St. Therese of Lisieux's vision.

This time embarking on new, more self fulfilling adventures in life: to conquer not the world's idea of success, but to conquer themselves; and to work, not for their own glory, but for God's.

(Reference of names to real persons are purely coincidental)

Blessing the Christmas Tree & Manger Scene

Since Advent is a penitential season the Christmas Tree is traditionally displayed on Christmas Eve in final preparation for Christmas and then blessed. The Nativity Scene in our home is set up in stages throughout Advent, then blessed on Christmas Day while adding the Child Jesus. I'll admit we don't always perfectly adhere to the following time line, but we try to do it something like this:

The stable is set up on the First Sunday of Advent. The next Sunday, livestock and empty manger are positioned. On the Third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday (Latin: 'To Rejoice'), is the same weekend that the Christmas Tree generally arrives in our home. This Sunday in Advent reminds us and mankind that our redemption is near as Christ soon approaches. At Mass the sacred ministers are clothed in rose colored vestments (the color of joy), flowers are allowed back on the altar, and the organ is once again played as on feast days. The arrival of the tree in the home coincides perfectly with Gaudete Sunday since the evergreen is the symbol of hope and eternity. Branches from the tree can also be added to the Manger Scene today. The Fourth Sunday of Advent brings the arrival of the Expectant Mother, Mary, her chaste spouse St. Joseph, and the donkey (this can also be done on Christmas Eve). With the arrival of Mary, we also place pine cones among the evergreen branches. Pine cones symbolize fertility and new life (because of the abundance of seeds in the cone). Before Midnight Mass and during the blessing of the Nativity Scene, described below, baby Jesus can be placed in the manger. On Christmas morning, the angel can appear together with the shepherds and their flock. Finally, on the twelfth day of Christmas, the Magi make their appearance on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6 which marks the visit by the three wise men.

The festive 12 days of celebrating Christmas traditionally begins with Midnight Mass. After the tree has been decorated and lit the family gathers near the tree while the Father initiates the sign of the cross.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE BLESSING

Father or Leader. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All. Who made Heaven and earth.

Antiphon (Father or Leader). All the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord, for He comes.

(Psalm 95 begs us to praise the Lord and sings of His coming at the end of time. Our Lord warned us to watch for the signs of His Second Coming in the Gospel for the first Sunday in Advent. We add, this night, our anticipation of His first coming).

Psalm 95 (can alternate reading the lines).

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all ye lands: Sing to the Lord, bless His name, announce His salvation, day after day:

Among the heathen tell His glory, His marvels to every people.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, to be feared more than all the gods:
The gods of the heathen are nothings, but the Lord - He made the Heaven.
Glory and majesty stand before Him, strength and splendor are in His sanctuary.
Declare to the Lord, ye families of nations, declare to the Lord His glory and strength:
declare to the Lord the glory of His name:
Offer sacrifice and come into His courts: worship the Lord in holy attire,
Tremble before Him, all the earth! say among the nations: The Lord is King.
He has set the earth firm, not to be moved, He rules the peoples with justice.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, the sea thunder with all its waves:
Let the fields be glad, and all their creatures, all the trees of the wood shout for joy
Before the Lord, for He comes, for He comes to rule the earth:
He will judge the world with justice, and the peoples with His truth.

Antiphon repeated (Leader). All the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord, for He comes.

Leader. Lesson from the Prophet Ezechiel, 17:22-24.

Thus said the Lord God: I Myself will take the top of the high cedar, and will set it: I will crop off a tender twig from the top of the branches thereof, and I will plant it on a mountain high and eminent. On the high mountains of Israel will I plant it and it shall shoot forth into branches, and shall bear fruit, and it shall become a great cedar: and all the birds shall dwell under it, and every fowl shall make its nest under the shadow of the branches thereof, and all the trees of the country shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree: and have dried up the green tree, and have caused the dry tree to flourish. I the Lord have spoken and have done it.

All. Thanks be to God.

Leader. And there shall Come forth a shoot.
All. Out of the root of Jesse.
Leader. In Him was life.

Leader. O Lord hear my prayer.
All. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Leader. The Lord be with you.
All. And with thy spirit.
Leader. Let us pray. Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Who hast caused Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to be planted like a tree of life in Thy Church, by being born of the most Holy Virgin Mary, bless, we beseech Thee, this tree that all who see it may be filled with a holy desire to be ingrafted as living branches into the same Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of " the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

All. Amen. (Sprinkles tree with holy water.)

Then the family can sing a hymn. The blessing of a manger scene can then follow, can occur before Midnight Mass, or on Christmas Day, but should occur after the Child Jesus is placed in the manger:

THE MANGER SCENE BLESSING

Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

Leader. A continuation of the holy gospel according to Saint Luke:

The birth of Jesus. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.

Or: Isaiah 7:10-15--The birth of Emmanuel.

Leader. God of every nation and people, from the very beginning of creation you have made manifest your love: when our need for a Savior was great you sent your Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. To our lives he brings joy and peace, justice, mercy, and love.

Lord, bless all who look upon this manger; may it remind us of the humble birth of Jesus, and raise up our thoughts to him, who is God-with-us and Savior of all, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

All. Amen.

Source: Book of Blessings Prepared by International Commission on English in the Liturgy A Joint Commission of Catholic Bishops' Conferences, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1989

THE CHRISTMAS TREE BLESSING

Connecticut Atheists reveal their true agenda

Atheists are not really A-theist. They do worship a god, it's just not the One True God; the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Pope Benedict. A recent article covers how a group of Connecticut atheists have taken "advantage of a town's policy of allowing holiday-season displays in its public park" by putting up a 10-foot tall sign celebrating the winter solstice. An idea in modern society, that is, celebrating a Christless Christmas, that Pope Benedict calls 'senseless'. The sign reveals what god they really do worship.

Part of the sign reads: ". . . Today we know that there are no gods, and that the sun moves by natural causes, and we celebrate not only the movement of the sun but our ability to understand that movement." Their fancy wordplay only reveals their true colors. They have placed not only themselves as gods with humanistic-self-grandisement, but have chosen the sun as their modern 'golden calf' to worship, bypassing the Creator for the creation. What is trumpeted as atheism today, was for past centuries more accurately referred to as idolatry.

Causa Nostrae Laetitiae - Cause of Our Joy

Our Blessed Mother brings joy out of sorrow. The Hail Mary, petitioning Our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Our Savior, and Help of Christians to help her 'other' children, those who love, know, and serve Jesus Christ:

"And the dragon was angry against the woman; and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and give testimony to Jesus Christ" - The Apocalypse (Revelations) Chapter 12:17.

Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us.

The Ten Most Common Abuses in Modern Mass

Catholic Answers featured an article by the author of Why Do Catholics Do That?, Kevin Orlin Johnson, Ph.D, in which he outlines the problems still plaguing our modern liturgy.