What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”
Mettle Maker #343
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Self-Defense: Next week is wrestling week. Are you prepped and ready to wrestle anytime and anywhere by doing your MBF© (“Martial Base Fitness”)? Look, wrestling has a rather narrow fitness requirement. But if you’re doing your daily MBF© you shouldn’t have a problem maintaining a fitness base that supports all your martial endeavors. How do you implement MBF? Sounds like you should sign up for the 100% free Heritage Self-Defense Distance Learning Program! Click here — did mention it’s 100% free because we’re a 501(c)(3) charity?
Fitness: For the one millionth time: are you finishing every strength-training session with a loaded carry?
“Finish every strength-training session with a loaded carry.” ~Dan John
Must be true because I put it in quotation marks, right? No, it’s true because Dan John is the Shōgun of Strength, the Field Marshall of Force, and the Praetor of Power. I took his advice years ago. And although I do feel the effects of aging, I feel like my “stone” strength — being rooted to the ground and able to hold your position while standing — is better than ever. When you’re done with your strength-training session, throw in some carries: Farmer’s Walks, Bear Hug Carries, Suitcase Carries, Shoulder Carries, or Waiter Carries. For best results, follow Old School training rules. And for fun, check out the video on the right — this is me doing a bodyweight Farmer’s Walk. Need help designing a training program? Click here — we can help.
Wildwood: Need some recommendations for nature appreciation and survival books? Here’s my bookshelf — go gitcha some! Have you gotten my book yet? It’s called the Wildwood Workbook, and it’s the textbook for the Heritage Arts Wildwood program. Click here to sign up — it’s totally free!
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Homily for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2/19/23 – Archdeacon Mitch
Readings: Lv 19:1-2, 17-18, Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13, 1 Cor 3:16-23, Mt 5:38-48
Mt 5:38-48 World English Bible Catholic Edition
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’✡ 39 But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. 41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor ✡ and hate your enemy.’‡ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors§ do the same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Friends, the words “be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect” can be daunting, and especially to those struggling with their faith the way I remember doing years ago. Back then, these words hit me like a hammer. I thought, “This is impossible. Nobody can be perfect! I quit.”
But Jesus isn’t saying that we need to be perfect in our execution, but rather in our orientation. He knows that, despite trying our best to be Christ-like, we’re fallen beings in a fallen world who have no hope of attaining perfection until the end of days. Let me suggest that what Jesus is saying is that we need to be perfect in our standpoint with respect to the world.
And so, for a little help with this, let’s turn to today’s epistle reading from 1 Corinthians. It really is an ideal pairing because it so effectively helps us understand the Jesus’ command “to be perfect.” St. Paul says,
For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”✡ 20 And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”✡ 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
All things, St. Paul says, belong to us because we belong to nothing less than God. You might say that, because we are not possessed by ideologies, political parties, and cults of personality, we suppose that our leaders should serve us rather than the reverse. Because we do not belong to the world – we aren’t slaves to our desires for food, sex, fame, money, and power – the world is ours. Because we are not slaves to the negative actions of others – not controlled by vengeful thoughts – our actions are ours. Because our lives belong to Christ, we don’t fear death. And this means that our present and future lives belong to us. All this and more is ours because we abide in Christ and he in us (John 15:4).
Let us then adopt a perfect standpoint with respect to the world, and “be perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect.”
✡ 1 Cor 3:19 Job 5:13
✡ 1 Cor 3:20 Psalm 94:11
✡Mt 5:38 Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
✡ Mt 5:43 Leviticus 19:18
‡ Mt 5:43 not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26
§ Mt 5:47 NU reads “Gentiles” instead of “tax collectors”.