Gone!

Sorry about that blog, Vox Popoli. I took it down, I lost interest and I decided it didn't fit my idea of what I should share with my friends.

Thursday evening musings...

I'm home here, alone (except for Gertie the cat) and in the silence of this big house my mind will tend to wander, thankfully usually about spiritual things, but often lately concerning my relationship with my family. Now when I say 'Family' I don't mean my wife or son or daughter, or even my son-in-law. We are all pretty much on the same page (more or less, room for improvement.) What I mean is my mother, brother, sister and all of their family members. This relationship is on rocky ground at all times. I consider myself a Catholic, a Roman Catholic. Perhaps I could add that I only go to the Latin Mass, but I really don't like the words 'Trad Rad' or Traditional Catholic, or any of those other monikers that people use. I'm Catholic, period. Now in my opinion, most people who go to the Novus Order Mass are not Catholic 100% anymore. Unless they go to a parish that has a very 'spiritual' and tradition-minded priest, they are mostly protestant in their thinking, never mind the modernist and liberal mindset. This is everywhere, we all know it, and I'm not going to go any further with this. What brought me to write this post is that in finishing up my Divine Office, which is used by the Franciscans, for today, Vespers, the intention was 'For the necessity of Relatives' and for Compline it was 'For necessity of Friends'. To me, so very apropos for todays' world. We so very much need both of these people, relatives and friends, in our lives. It is so very unfortunate that all of our relatives can't be on the same page concerning our religious beliefs. I pray earnestly every day for the conversion of my brother, sister and mother and all of their family members to the true interpretation of the Church, but really don't think it will happen. This is Gods chastisement to both them and me. I'm 64 now. How many more weddings will we have to say no to, on account of the ceremony taking place in a barn, or a field or a (shudder) protestant church? It is a sad time when family is fading, in a way into the background and like-minded friends are the only ones outside of the immediate family that one can speak and pray with. Are the end times coming? It sure seems that way. The way the 98% of the world thinks is truly frightening, and we, as, lets say, working Catholics, are left in sadness and complete disarray.
I'll end with asking, not to pray for this or that, but to pray that our prayers, our sincere prayers, may be answered.

Post Mortum

Well, thank you all for your prayers. My brother and I sat down for our chit chat, in his very cozy family room, him on his new chair that helps him get up into a standing position. My poor brother, please try to remember him every once in a while (I know it's hard!) in your prayers. He is a very sick man and the many doctors he has still can't pin down what is wrong with him. They are getting closer to finding out, they are pretty sure it's neurological (not good). He is a wonderful man, hardworking, a good provider, but unfortunately, no longer a Catholic. He would say he is, but to me, he is Catholic in name (and that barely) but protestant through and through. Our discussion about why his daughter is getting married in the protestant church down the street got off on the wrong foot and went absolutely no where. The gap between a novus ordo/protestant Catholic and a Catholic who goes only to the Latin Rite Mass is too great. The arguments would have escalated into shouting matches. I am no Catholic apologetic. When it comes to Holy Mother Church my passions run too deep and they

get a hold of me. He has forgotten or never knew even the basic concepts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and doesn't want to know them. To say I was stunned was an understatement. And I guess I'm still in a state of shock. I very rarely talk about the Church with anyone outside of Tradition, unless they are asking me for an answer. What they think is almost incomprehensible to me, and thus I was put behind the eight ball right from the beginning. And to hear this coming from a family member, my beloved brother, made it just too hard. I believe my evangelizing days within my family are over. I will pray for them all, as I always do, but will stay clear of anything other than discussing sports.

Prayers, please.

Will be dealing first hand later today with an issue that no Catholic man wants to deal with: A family member (niece) marrying outside of the Church (protestant church). We heard about this on Christmas Eve, overhearing this conversation from across the table. Since then until now I've been hoping for a small miracle, that certain people will come to their senses and rectify the problem but no, liberals and modernists apparently only think one way, and that is "As long as they are happy..." I need not explain the logic of that thinking here, but this afternoon when I have a sit-down with my brother I pray (as I have been praying for days) that the Holy Ghost provides me with the words and actions to, if not outright change my brother's thinking, to at least plant a seed to have him begin to think about the error that is occurring here. No one outside of my immediate family, that I know of thinks anything is wrong. I ask you all, anyone who reads this, to just say a prayer, any prayer, for me, my neice and her boyfriend and my brother and his wife, to be open to the Truth as Jesus Christ has proclaimed it and as Holy Mother Church has passed it down and protected it through the ages. 

Thank you all and God Bless you!

Work and pray, pray and work.

This hay-wire world is doing it's best to push us to our limits.Even the weather, from mid-summer on, has not co-operated; rain, clouds, then more rain. 

Rome is darkness, as the fish rots from the head down, but there is much grace in this, for those who see.

For me, right now, all I want to do is stack wood. Allow me, Lord, the time for good manual labor, for I am a Franciscan who cannot do without. 

Work and pray, pray and work. 

St. Francis and the Stigmata.

Francis being indeed a faithful servant and minister of Christ, about the space of two years before he gave back his spirit to heaven, withdrew himself into an high mountain apart, even that mountain which is called Mount Alverno, and began to fast for forty days to the honour of the Archangel Michael. To think of the things above gave him sweeter comfort than beforetime he was wont, and the hot longing for heaven was kindled in him, so that he began to feel that the gifts from above were poured forth upon him in such fulness as he had never felt before. The burning of his desire made his heart rise towards God like the heart of a seraph, and his tender answering love yearned to be changed into the likeness of Him Who hath so loved us that He was content to bear the Cross. And it was so that one morning early, about the time of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he was praying upon the side of the mountain, and there appeared unto him as it had been one of the Seraphim, having six wings, glorious and fiery, flying to him from heaven. It came therefore very swiftly, and stood in the air, hard by the man of God. He beheld then the appearance thereof that it was not winged only, but crucified also. His hands and feet were stretched forth and nailed to a Cross. Twain of his wings were lifted up and joined one to the other over his head, and twain were stretched forth to fly withal, and with twain he wrapped around his body. When Francis saw it, he was sore amazed, and his soul was.filled with sorrow and gladness, for the eyes of him that appeared were full of strange love and tenderness, so that he conceived great rejoicing thereat, but the nailing to the Cross was so exceedingly dreadful, that as he saw it, a sword of sorrow pierced his soul.

Then He Whom he beheld with his bodily eyes, began to speak silently unto him in his heart, and he understood that albeit the deathless Seraphim cannot suffer or faint, this vision was nevertheless therefore set before him, that he might know that as a friend of Christ he was to be all changed into the likeness of Christ Jesus crucified, not by the martyrdom of the body, but by the fervour of the soul. Then they held together some sweet converse, as of a man with his friend, and the vision passed from him, but his heart was kindled inwardly with the fire of the Seraphim, and his body was outwardly changed into the likeness of Him Who was crucified, even as wax is softened by the fire and taketh the impression of the seal. From thenceforth there were in his hands and feet the marks of the nails. The heads of the nails were seen in the palms of his hands and on the insteps of his feet, and the points came out on the backs of his hands and the soles of his feet. In his right side also was a long raw wound, as though he had been pierced with a spear, from which wound his holy blood oftentimes ran and stained his shirt and breeches.

Thereafter Francis was a new creature, famous for a new and awful sign. The holy marks of the Lord Jesus, whereon living man for twelve centuries had not been allowed to look, were his adornment. He came down from the mount bearing in himself the form of Jesus Crucified, not portrayed upon tables of stone or wood by the hand of any earthly craftsman, but drawn upon his flesh by the finger of the living God. The dying Seraph knew well that it is good to keep close the secret of a king, Tobit xii. 7, and knowing the secret of his King, he strove as far as in him lay to keep the sacred marks hidden from men. Nevertheless, forasmuch as it is the will of the Lord God for His Own glory to make manifest the greatness of His Own works, He openly showed forth divers wonders through these wounds which He had Himself made in secret, so that the hidden and wondrous power of the marks might become known by the fame of the miracles. The foregoing marvellous but thoroughly witnessed facts, which were already spoken of in Papal documents with especial praise and joy, were made, by the pleasure of Pope Benedict XI, the subject of a yearly memorial, which was afterwards extended by Paul V. to the whole Church, in the hope of fanning in the hearts of the faithful the love of Christ Crucified.
  (from) From the Readings upon the Life of St. Francis, composed by St. Buona- Ventura, Cardinal Bishop of Albano.

Pax et Bonum!

I haven't posted much lately, I think the reason being is that I'm just really at a loss for words. Rome is trying it's hardest to tear down the walls of our Church, (even knowing that that can never happen) they are still trying, making a mockery of Catholicism in the eyes of the world. But... like our Pastor, Father Pieroni said so emphatically at Holy Mass yesterday "DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!"

And so I'll try not to.

In the meantime, Happy Feast Day to all you third order Franciscans and Cord Bearers on this (commemoration) of The Imprinting of the Stigmata on the Body of St. Francis of Assisi.

Pax et Bonum!

Just letting off some steam...

So let me see if I've got this straight, because I profess, I can't and I won't follow along on my i phone and my computer every bit of news that crops up. 99% of it is worthless to me. But the combination of President Trump-bashing and the stupidity of both the liberal-thinking-modernist-believing people AND clergy of the world concerning this immigration policy bull crap has really bothered me.  Let me get this straight: A family of husband and wife with their x amount of children arrives at the border of the US and Mexico.  He has all the paperwork required of him to make a proper border crossing to either visit the US or to eventually become citizens here. The Trump administration decides that the best thing for this family is to separate the parents from the children and throw the children into cages.  No?  I've got it all wrong?  Well, I just watched a spot of news last night and this is exactly what I got out of that report. Wait a minute, you say, no one in their right mind would do something like that, separate families that have all of their proper paperwork.  And you know what, I think your right. But the media that is filling our heads with news, the news they choose and choose how to present it would have you think just that.  There are laws, people, and they are not all that complicated. I won't post the links because one never knows what is attached to them, but if you want to read the laws start by going to something like usa.gov.  It appears one has to be pretty dastardly to not be able to enter the US one way or another.  What we are seeing on the news about separating families is, in my opinion, b*&##**, all to discredit our Administration.  All to secretly promote globalism and open borders and the coming of the one world government. (oh well, I said it). You liberals and modernists, get your head out of your butts and do your homework. If any children are getting separated from their parents and families there is probably a very good reason.  I'm not saying everything is perfect down at the border but just think for a moment about the false narrative that comes from the media and to pray for God's mercy, and that He send much needed enlightenment upon our world. 

Pray for an Intervention from On High.

Faith

Our dog died, back on January 10. We didn't tell that many people but with the internet, word gets around and condolences were given and received. 

Sixteen years.

Sixteen years we had that girl, that's a lot of years of one's life, all of her life, really, and when that person, or dog, that love of ones' life is gone, that's a big hole, a hole that will never be filled.

One starts to think about mortality, our own and others. 

I will miss her, that little nipper. Her name was Faith, and we buried her in the semi-frozen ground out back by the garden. I can see her make-shift headstone that Helen stuck in the ground from my rocker in the kitchen. I still get choked up every time I gaze upon it. 

And that's how it should be, at least for me. 

In a small way she reminds me of my humanity, about unconditional love with no strings attached. If I could love the world half as much as she loved me, I would be a much better man. 

Goodbye again, Faith. I'm hoping God has a special place for our close animal friends that we had here on earth, and perhaps once again I can clip on her leash and take her for another walk around the yard, like we did, every morning.

Time Waste.

Well, the toxicity and sheer time waste of FB has finally got to me. I'm going to try to stay off of it as much as possible, going on in the morning to post the Saint of the Day and if so, the Franciscan Saint that we're celebrating that day. Otherwise, enough is enough. Those who have FB accounts must know what I mean. When it gets to the point where it just becomes second nature to do, then, with something that is just wasting your time and possibly not good for your health, it's time to cut back, if not quit.
As with my health plan, I asked, and still do ask, for the help of Our Mother and I will ask Her assistance with this challenge also.  Without Her intercession I will fall, as usual.

Dark and getting darker.

Why more young men and women aren't running off to join monasteries or convents I don't understand, just for the mere fact of getting away from this world. (I know it's God's Grace, I'm just venting...)  Every day we wake up to so many blatant lies perpetrated by the media and who knows who else, and basic Catholic teaching and doctrine just being twisted and ignored is really making me sick. And then one feels so helpless, because there really is nothing you can do but pray. And our prayer? I think when we pray, unless we're praying for something personal and specific, our prayers for 'world peace' and such don't necessarily get ignored, but I believe the chastisement is here and that prayer for 'world peace' is used for something else. The willful ignorance of man is shining brightly; the darkness of satan has perpetuated much, and men have grown fat by idolatry and greed, envy and lust. We can only save ourselves and our families. Let the good priests do what they can, until the skies become more clear. 

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the Seraphic Father.

Thank You, Lord, for calling me to become a third order Franciscan, by giving me this extra grace to follow You, through the example of the Seraphic Father, St. Francis, to heaven. Where would I be if it were not for the Catholic Church, Holy Mass, and the third order, (or my wife who is also in the order, she also helps to hold me together), I dare not think.

O God, through the merits

of our blessed Father Francis,

 You enriched Your Church with

new offspring; grant that by 

imitating him we may despise

the things of this world and

ever rejoice in the partaking

of Your heavenly gifts.

Through our Lord... 

For that moment.

I had a beautiful revelation during my early morning Rosary today. Confusion and questions that have only smoldered under the surface became clear. I gazed upon Our Lord on the Cross with great love and tenderness. 

Unfortunately,  I can't remember what was revealed.  

It was like a waking dream, and like most dreams do upon awakening, after awhile, they slip away, not gone, just drift back into that sub-conscious to perhaps rest, or to influence, I don't know. But even now I know that I did learn something in the darkness of my kitchen, with only the small, weak spotlight on Our Crucified Lord to guide me. Perhaps with much reflection I'll remember, but I have a feeling that I won't. 

It was only for that moment.

Food.

The last few weeks Helen and I have been trying to eat right by way of a diet plan by a certain known doctor. We were very excited at the beginning (officially started July 10, but we were eating better the week before that), and we even survived the 'cleansing purge' of last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  But after almost two weeks of eating almost nothing but nuts and greens, we, Helen and I, decided that following a diet too closely that is basically based, in our opinion, on what the cave men ate, and worse, how they (we) evolved from apes, we'd better modify this way of eating quick. for one thing, it was expensive in many ways and many of the foods the diet called for were hard to find. But the main part that really bothered Helen was his way of thinking about evolution, and how it ran counter to Catholicism. As Franciscans, the idea of poverty, spiritual and physical, is something we keep in the fore front, not something we do when the time is right. True, we must take care of our bodies, but not at the expense of our soul.

My Guardian Angel

  On my way to work this morning, after my Rosary, I had a strong presence of my Guardian Angel. I had the incredibility strong feeling that he was sitting right next to me in the passenger seat. It made me very emotional. It was a feeling that I can only describe as being in the presence of something beyond me. Words are failing me, but it was almost as if the entire cab of the pickup was filled with a silent hum. I've always believed his name is Andrew, and he was making himself known, for whatever reason.

  Thank you, Andrew, for what, I do not know.

Leaving God behind.

(From my F.B. page last night. I was just a little cranked.)

I will not post the picture of Kathy Griffin. We've all seen it by now. I just want to speak my piece about this. I must assume that she believed she was perhaps practicing her craft, which, I'll be honest, I've never seen her do. I think she's a comedian, but I'm not sure. Perhaps she thought she was making a statement, which she did, but a vile and senseless one. Or she thought she was following her conscience, doing what she felt was right, in a protest to President Trump. Unfortunately our conscience doesn't always tell us right from wrong, good from evil. As weak people we would rather feed our senses which almost always gravitate towards darkness. It seems that everywhere one turns, people, in the name of 'freedom' say, do, write and exhibit any and all things that cross their minds. Fear of God is completely gone. When man puts himself first, God is left far behind.
Perhaps the next time any of us wants to complain, or ridicule or tear down someone or something either here or in our real lives, we should ask ourselves, is what I'm doing helping me on my road to salvation or hindering it?

The First Apparition

This Saturday is the anniversary of the First Apparition of Our Blessed Mother at Fatima. Perhaps this would be a good morning to find a Latin Mass and celebrate these two wonderful gifts, the Holy Mass and Our Mother coming to warn us. Even as I write this I've read of so much evil and mischief about today that truly much prayer is needed, more prayer than perhaps we are accustomed to. We are living in times that great saints are made, dark times when Holy Mother Church seems to be falling apart all around us. Rome gives us no backing, heck, they are going in the other direction. But take heart, today, the 11th, the Feast of SS. Philip and James, two of Our Lords' Apostles, they never gave up, even when facing death, even when dying. 
 So get through this day, like we do every day, with love, with prayer and with turning our minds heavenward. We can't all get to Mass every day, but we can pray and plead.

Retreat.

Leaving this afternoon for an Ignatian Retreat. Monday thru Saturday, a week of silence and meditation, during the first full week of Lent.

Please keep me in your prayers.

The Franciscan Ideal

Vos, Sancti Dei inclyti

Qui estis mente lucidi

Franciscum imitate,

Orate ut intrepidi

Hic simus semper fervidi

Et postmodum beati.

This liturgical antiphon in honor of the saints of the Franciscan Order points out the three principal means of perpetuating Franciscan perfection : retaining undimmed the Franciscan ideal; expressing it by heroic action; sustaining it by fervent prayer. The last words of the antiphon, "Et postmodum beati," assure us of the recompense promised to the faithful imitators of our seraphic Father.  -  (from) Franciscan Perfection.

First Friday, First Saturday.

First Friday and First Saturday Holy Mass,with Benediction, 6:00 pm, St. Lawrence Chapel, S. Windsor CT. First Friday Mass is also the Feast of St. Blaise, so there will be The Blessing of Throats.