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Two special events this fall!
Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout. Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details or get TICKETS here. Or sign up to walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here.
Mettle Maker #371
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.”
Fitness — Foot health is key. No feet, no fitness. If you’ve started walking to prep for the Marathon Mettlecraft Challenge and your feet are sore, here are some tips for easing the soreness and staying on track.
Ease into it. You might have jumped into this too aggressively. See the plan here — you need a staggered progression.
Take a break. Give your feet a rest for a week or so and try the tips below, then ease back in. If your foot pain is severe, see your doctor!
Relive foot pain by rolling your feet on a frozen water bottle. Do this three times a day for up to 20 minutes (with your socks on to prevent frost burn)
Stretch your Achilles tendon. A tight Achilles transfers tension to the foot. Put your hands on a wall or sturdy object and step into a front lunge while keeping your rear heel on the floor. Hold for 20 seconds, stretching only until you feel that the tendon exists — if it hurts, you’re overstretching.
Stretch your Plantar fascia. Get on your hands and knees with your toes engaged. Slowly sit back onto your heels to stretch the soles of your feet. Hold three times for 30 seconds. Do this three times per day. Stretch only until you feel that the tendon exists — if it hurts, you’re overstretching.
Roll your calves with a broomstick or therapy roller. Numerous tendons run from the lower leg, through and around the ankle, and into the foot. Rub them down, limber them up, and you may get some relief.
Get a foot massage. You’ll be surprised how much relief you’ll get if you can talk your significant other to give you one. If you have to, roll your foot on a tennis ball. I’m lucky. My wife has chronic foot pain so she bought a fancy electric massage machine that I can use whenever I like without having to barter for it!
Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to participate in one of our free programs!
Martial Arts - American Rough ‘n’ Tumble is where it’s at. Heritage Self-Defense is American Rough 'n' Tumble -- a self-defense oriented martial art that originated in the Southern Virginia backcountry during the Colonial Era. It incorporates boxing, wrestling, kicking, indigenous fighting methods, and weapons (walking stick, knife, tomahawk, etc.), as well as old-school physical culture and spiritual development in the Western tradition. Watch the video on the left for a little inspiration! Want to learn Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts? Join as the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!
~Feodor Protar
(Letter to his niece, 1923)
Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Be inspired by the life and times of Feodor Protar, “The Saint of Beaver Island.” Feodor Protar was an actor, theater producer, and newspaper editor. But, despite his success, he longed for a simpler and more spiritual life. So in 1893 he sold his newspaper and bought a cabin on Beaver Island, where he moved permanently. He soon realized there was no doctor on the remote island. So he began to study first aid and medicine and slowly began to fill the gap. He prepared home remedies and ordered medications in bulk (prescriptions weren’t required until 1915) which he distributed, along with his care and advice, free of charge. Michigan state medical regulators were aware of his activities but, understanding that there was insufficient population and infrastructure to support a full-time doctor, ignored his lack of certification. Protar lived a simple life, living off the land and helping his neighbors, for over 30 years until his death in 1925. If Protar can do what he did, imagine what you can do! For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!
Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.
Homily for the Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 9/3/23 – Father Mitch
Readings: Jer 20:7-9, Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9, Rom 12:1-2, Mt 16:21-27
Matthew 16:21-27 World English Bible Catholic Edition
From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”
23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds. 28 Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
Today we read, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men” or in other popular translations, “you are thinking not as God does, but as humans do.” (Mt 16:23). How can we be expected to think the way that the Creator of the Universe does? Is this even possible for us?
We might instinctively feel as though Jesus’ expectations, voiced first to Peter and then extended to all of his disciples in the next sentence, are unfairly high. But there is one very important fact to consider: God became man and walked among us, showing us the way to walk in the world. Jesus rose from the dead and promised us a share in his Resurrection in the world to come. We know the reality of the expectations and the reward.
But at the point when Jesus said the words we read today, Peter and he disciples had only promises, not proof. Practical, common-sense people like them – people like many of us! – are solution-oriented. We tend to think positively and to assume that every bad situation can be fixed, and every known obstacle can be avoided. Peter thinks surely there is a way to prevent Jesus from having to suffer and die! We tend to be like Peter. If we know there’s a traffic jam, we can choose another route. If we know a hurricane is coming, we can board up the windows and head to safer ground.
But common-sense thinking like this, when it comes to morality, is just as much a stumbling block to us as it was to Peter. In this life we face many practical choices large and small. Will we compromise our beliefs or hold fast? Will we say grace at the restaurant or stay silent to fit in? Hide the mechanical problems with our car so that we can sell it to some sucker for a better price? Ignore the Commandments when they’re inconvenient or costly? Will we justify shopping on Sunday by saying it provides income for the poor, disrespect our parents because they deserve it for being annoying, or steal from a rich man because he has plenty?
Jesus did what he did and said what he said, come what may. We must do likewise. The Greek word for “stumbling block” is skandalos, the bait stick that triggers an animal trap. Let us not be snared. The path of expediency runs along the edge of a lake of fire and, as the saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”