An Announcement
Hello brothers and sisters! I’ve been a little bit swamped lately, so this week’s post is a little late (just like last week's). Why have I been swamped? On account of my vestment into the priesthood yesterday. After a week of preparation, I left at 4 AM Saturday morning, drove 6 hours to The Riverside Church in NYC, got vested, performed my first Mass, had coffee, sandwiches, and fellowship, and then drove the six hours back. Frankly, It was all I could do to get Holy Communion done this morning after getting back into town last night just after 11 PM. See the photo set below. Online Holy Communion will transition to online Mass starting soon.
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.”
DID YOU KNOW…? That you you can get a daily motivational text message from Heritage Arts? Click the awesome (and perhaps a bit cheesy?) scrolling link below to sign up!
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Mettle Maker #361
Fitness: What is “fitness?” On the right is an 8-minute, practical fitness drill for self-defense and survival. Maybe your idea of fitness is losing 100 pounds, bench pressing your body weight, running your first 10K, or looking good with your shirt off. Regardless of your definition, if you’re looking for a free coach — somebody to help you design a fitness program and to help keep you motivated and on track — Sign up for our free distance learning program.
Self-defense: Put in 3 rounds of “shadow wrestling.” Get out your floor bag and lay the smackdown on it. Come up with your own routine or watch the video on the left (and by the way, there’s a personal development bonus element to that drill that you won’t want to miss). Want more martial arts training info? Check our our free distance learning program.
Wildwood. Check out this video about Danish outdoor kindergartens. The evidence is in — has been in for many, many years — that outdoor play is fantastic for kids and adults! Everybody wants to talk about “hacking” stuff, especially your brain. Here’s a great mental health “hack.” Go outside and engage in unstructured play, and take your kids with you if you have any. You’ll be glad you did. Is there enough interest to start an outdoor kindergarten here in Richmond? Well, if there was, Heritage Arts would love to be involved. If you would like to lend money, time, and/or resources to such a project, email me at mitch@heritageartsinc.com.
Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live and, to view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.
Homily for the Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 6/25/23 – Father Mitch
Readings: Jer 20:10-13, Ps 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35, Rom 5:12-15, Mt 10:26-33
Matthew 10:26—33 World English Bible Catholic Edition
26 Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. 28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.†
29 “Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?‡ Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.
Brothers and sisters, Truth, along with Goodness and Beauty, is one of the three transcendentals. The transcendentals are the three irreducible qualities. Think of it this way. Most numbers can be evenly divided, like 16 let’s say, into 2 times 8, or 4 times 4. Qualities are the same way. Patriotism, for example, can be divided into constituent parts. It’s made up of love of country, military service, civil service, philosophical and cultural aspects, defense of shared values, and so on. Just as there are prime numbers that cannot be evenly reduced – like 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, etc. – the transcendental qualities cannot be reduced any further either. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we can’t conceive of God’s infinite perfection. But we can see a reflection his perfection in the three irreducible transcendentals when they manifest in his creatures:
41 All creatures bear a certain resemblance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. the manifold perfections of creatures - their truth, their goodness, their beauty all reflect the infinite perfection of God. *
So, in a sense, whenever we see Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in God’s creation, we see his fingerprints.
The power of Truth is in the forefront of today’s Gospel reading, which reminds us that speaking the truth is essential. Look, we’re not perfect. It’s difficult to communicate with others when we’re being honest and kind. But if we twist facts, hide motives, and behave inconsiderately, communication is downright impossible. Without truth, communication is doomed. When I mentor people in the business world who aspire to be managers, I stress the importance of truth in all they do. I often say, “Your success as a manager is directly proportional to your ability to express the truth with kindness, diplomacy, and tact.” Without this ability, a manager can’t coach employees, build consensus among groups, gain the confidence of customers, or really do anything. And the same is true of parents, coaches, and leaders of all kinds.
There is no leadership without the ability to speak the truth in a unifying manner. Jesus knows this. And so, in today’s Gospel reading, he tells us to proclaim his truth without fear. He knows that if we speak the truth – all forms of truth, but especially the truth of his Gospel – his message will spread. Lives will be enriched, families strengthened, businesses improved, governments and organizations purged of corruption, and most importantly, souls will be saved.
Fear not those who can only kill the body. Speak the truth, in all things and about all things, and transform the world.
† 10:28 or, Hell.
‡ 10:29 An assarion is a small coin worth one tenth of a drachma or a sixteenth of a denarius. An assarion is approximately the wages of one half hour of agricultural labor.
* Catechism of the Catholic Church, Section 41: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__PC.HTM
§ 9:36 TR reads “weary” instead of “harassed”
† 10:3 NU omits “Lebbaeus, who was also called”
‡ 10:8 TR adds “raise the dead,”