Mettle Maker #355 and Holy Communion for 5/14/23

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 #355

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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Self-Defense: Shadow wrestling. Set a round timer and put in 3 rounds practicing your wrestling maneuvers (see video on the right). Could you reasonably expect to win a catch wrestling tournament by training exclusively solo? No. But you can use solo training to improve your wrestling stamina, build your form and fluidity, and even learn new techniques. If worked for Dan Gable and it’ll work for you. Want to learn how to fight Rough ‘n’ Tumble style? Join the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA. Or, if distance learning is your thing, click here to enroll in the Heritage Self-Defense distance learning program!

Fitness: Loneliness and isolation can destroy your health. Did you read the Surgeon Generals terrifying report released just this week? About 50% of Americans suffer from feelings of loneliness and isolation. And the health effects are roughly equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day — more severe than obesity or lack of exercise. Read the entire report or watch this interview with the Surgeon General Murthy. How do you fight loneliness and isolation? The Surgeon has lots of suggestions, many of which are pretty good. And we do too — watch the video above-left — and in case you didn’t already know, Heritage Arts’ free programs are excellent solutions to achieving mind-body-spirit health. Please avail yourself of them — Click here to sign up. And if you’d like to start a martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, or home church in your town, email mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we’ll show you how — absolutely free!

Wildwood: Wild edibles are everywhere, even in suburbia. You know what the adorable plant on the right is? It’s Vaccinium stamineum, a.k.a. deer berry, sometimes called huckleberry, very closely related to blueberries. (Note: One of my favorite movies is Tombstone, partially due to Val Kilmer’s turn as Doc Holliday, for my part one of the greatest acting performances of all time. There is famous scene in which he says, “I’m your huckleberry” (with the implied “pick me” left out for full effect). You can get an enamel on metal painting of Doc Holliday, handmade by Kilmer himself, from his website. The loss of health and voice that this great artist has suffered is a tragedy, but rest assured that his charm, genius and panache remain undimmed. I highly recommend Val, his autobiographical documentary. It’s A+. ~Mitch) Want to learn more wild edibles and outdoor skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

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 Sixth Sunday of Easter, Sunday 5/14/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20, 1 Pt 3:15-18, Jn 14:15-21

John 14:15-21  World English Bible

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments. 16  I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, † that he may be with you forever: 17  the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive, for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18  I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. 19  Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21  One who has my commandments and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.”

In today’s reading Jesus informs his apostles that, although he is leaving the world, Heavenly Father is going send to them a counselor and guide to be with them forever.  Nowadays the preferred term for this counselor is the “Holy Spirit.”

I confess without shame that I prefer the older term “Holy Ghost.”  Is it partly nostalgic?  An appreciation for antique words?  Maybe a little.  But mainly, I prefer to say “Holy Ghost” for exactly the same reason that most people don’t like it: because “Holy Ghost” sounds strange, bizarre, and just a little bit creepy.  It sounds different.

And the Holy Ghost should sound different.  In the minds of most young people today, Christianity is just another hobby, one choice among a host of various spiritual pursuits.  These days, spirituality is about feeling good, recharging your batteries, and maximizing your happiness and productivity.  And as far as the youth of today are concerned, there are lots of ways to be spiritual.  To them, being filled with the Holy Spirit is roughly the same as the refreshing, vaguely spiritual feeling you get after a really good massage with healing herbs, or an aromatherapy session.

The words “spirit” and “spirituality” are severely over-used and tossed around lightly.  There are all kinds of “spirit.”  A medium can claim to call upon the spirits.  A high school can have team spirit.  An army can cultivate fighting spirit.  The word “spirit” is vague.  “Holy Ghost” is specific. 

There is only one Holy Ghost.  

The Holy Ghost is, like Christian spirituality, unique.  When you reference the Holy Ghost, it’s clear you are not talking about anything else.  This isn’t just another type of spirituality, like yoga, mindfulness, Reiki, or Transcendental Meditation.  We are dealing with an entity, a power, something completely other.  So yes, the term “Holy Ghost” sounds weird, different, shocking.  This culture desperately needs to be shocked -- shocked out of complacency, shocked out of folly, foolishness, and faithlessness – and reminded that Christianity is not a product.  The Holy Trinity is not for sale.  God is not a brand name, Jesus has no equivalents, and the Holy Ghost has no competitors. 

This week the Surgeon General of the United States published his 82-page report entitled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.”  It reveals that half of Americans are suffering from the negative health effects of loneliness, which are the rough equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day – more severe than obesity and lack of exercise.  Meanwhile, the facilities that have the cure for this epidemic – America’s churches! – are closing at the rate of five per day. 

It’s past time we made it absolutely clear that what we are offering to this suffering culture is something entirely different.  We are the Body of Christ, his church, filled with the Holy Ghost!  Inside these doors, you may eat the flesh and drink the blood of God.  With him, and through him, and in him, you can be possessed by the Holy Ghost, remake yourself completely, and find peace in the blessed hope of life everlasting! 

That’s the power of the Holy Ghost.  And you can’t get that from your masseuse, or your yoga teacher, or your mindfulness coach.

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† 14:16 Greek παρακλητον: Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Comforter.

Mettle Maker #354 and Holy Communion for 5/7/23

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 #354

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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Self-Defense: Work the “Stairway to Heaven” 1-2-3 combo drill. Max power. Throw combo once with right side, twice with left side, three times with right, four left, five right, six left, etc. until you gas. Take a 30-second break and start again at one. Repeat until you reach “heaven.” See video on the right — this is one of our favorite drills. For some reason, this short has plenty of views but zero likes?!?! Feel free to suggest perhaps why that might me the case in the comments. Is it because I used the term “heaven” as a metaphor for “perfect exhaustion?” Who knows? Anyway, want to learn how to fight Rough ‘n’ Tumble style? Join the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA. Or, if distance learning is your thing, click here to enroll in the Heritage Self-Defense distance learning program!

Fitness: Are you as fit as the founding fathers? Can you swim 3 1/2 miles or walk 20 miles? From the International Swimming Hall of Fame citation: “Benjamin Franklin was a competent swim coach and teacher; he advised on water safety, lifeboat rescue escape from shipwrecks, and the advisability of universal learn-to-swim classes…on a Thames River excursion in 1726, he swam from Chelsea to Blackfriars (3½ miles).” Thomas Jefferson was an early and lifelong advocate of 2 hours per day of mind-body-spirit exercise. In a letter dated August 1786 he wrote, “If the body be feeble, the mind will not be strong. The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is best. A horse gives but a kind of half exercise, and a carriage is no better than a cradle. No one knows, till he tries, how easily a habit of walking is acquired. A person who never walked three miles will in the course of a month become able to walk 15. or 20. without fatigue.” Want to start training “old-school?” Click here to sign up for our 100% free program!

Wildwood: Wild edibles are everywhere, even in suburbia. See the pics above or watch the video on the right. They are, from left to right, muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia), juniper berries (Juniperus virginiana), and blackberry leaf (Rubus L.). All are edible! I had a few minutes before Heritage Self-Defense session the other day, and I found all three right next to the picnic shelter. Want to learn more outdoor skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Sunday 5/7/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Acts 6:1-7, Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19, 1 Pt 2:4-9, Jn 14:1-12

John 14:1-12  World English Bible Catholic Edition

1  “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. 2  In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 3  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. 4  You know where I go, and you know the way.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. 7  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ 10  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works. 11  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12  Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father.

In the passage prior to today’s reading (John 13:36-38), Jesus says to his apostles, “Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards.”  Simon Peter says he will lay down his life in order to follow, but Jesus foretells that Simon will instead deny him three times.

This is why Jesus says in today’s reading, “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many homes.”  Jesus is consoling Peter and the apostles for the mistakes he knows they are going to make.  A home is a place to feel comfortable and safe.  A home is a place of refuge for individuals and families.  “In my Father’s house are many homes.”  Pardon the pun, but this very much sounds like, “Don’t dwell on the past – dwell with Jesus and the Father in the home prepared for you.  There’s plenty of room.”

Jesus warns Peter – he warns us! – that we’re going to stumble.  In our reading from 1 Peter, we hear “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall. They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.”  Yes, we’re going to stumble.  But there’s a home waiting for us.  A home is a place of recuperation and rest after a long day of struggle, trial, tribulation, and hard work. After a lifetime of hard work trying to follow Jesus, after a lifetime of stumbling, fumbling, and failing, there is a home waiting for us where we can rest our weary bones.

Like Simon Peter, I have denied Jesus many times in my life.  I have run from his truth, tried to justify my bad behavior, deliberately disobeyed his teachings, and so on.  I cringe and shrink away from the memories of my misdeeds.  We have all done this to one degree or the other.  We can all, to a limited extent, imagine the guilt and shame Simon Peter must’ve felt after denying the Lord three times, only to meet his beloved Lord face to face after the resurrection. 

As St. Augustine of Hippo said in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  So, not only is rest available to us in God’s house in the future, rest is available today if only we will stop running from God. We struggle, deny, and stumble.  We fall.  We get up again.  On we go.  But let us not be restless or troubled. Let us instead follow Jesus Christ and find our rest through him, with him and in him, today, tomorrow, and for eternity.

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Mettle Maker #353 and Holy Communion for 4/30/23

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 #353

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!

Click here to sign up for DAILY MOTIVATIONAL text messages!

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Self-Defense: Does solo martial arts training actually work? Yes. Wrestling great Dan Gable — arguably the greatest collegiate-style wrestler who ever lived — is and was a huge proponent of solo training. He famously asked his high school wrestling coach for a key to the gym, and would spend hours shadow wrestling, throwing floor bags, and so forth. His home gym is in a barn — a Rocky-styled, dirt floored nightmare. See video on the left — this is one of his favorite solo drills. Want to learn how to fight Rough ‘n’ Tumble style? Join the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA. Or, if distance learning is your thing, click here to enroll in the Heritage Arts Self-Defense distance learning program!

Fitness: Food is more than nutrients. Eat food that has been prepared by hands, preferably your own, and say grace over it. Food is more than an accumulation of nutrients. It’s becoming increasingly clear to nutritionists, biologists, and researchers that there’s far more to the human-food relationship than nutrient science – simply isolating the nutrients in food and then attempting to determine the effects of those nutrients on human health. Buzzwords like “food synergy” and “food matrices” are being used to describe the relationship between whole foods and human biological systems (Jacobs 2007).

But our grandparents understood this already, without all the fancy words. Food has important social functions. We use it to demonstrate our care for one another. We take chicken soup to the sick and gift chocolates to our lovers on Valentine’s day. Food is at the center of every celebration and wake. We bake cakes for birthdays and weddings, have church potlucks on religious holidays, and grieve by sharing snacks and memories of the deceased at the wake. And we use family recipes to pass on family identities and traditions.

Private chef services, meal prep plans, and pre-made meal delivery services are probably “healthier” by the nutrition numbers than a cruddy TV dinner from the frozen food section at the grocery store or a military MRE. But all of those examples merely check a box, and none of them compare to a home-cooked meal, prepared and served in community with friends and family.

It’s one thing to plug a hole. It’s another thing entirely to sit at the intersection of food, family, and friendship and engage with your culture. The complete experience of food, in its entirety, is an important component of human mind-body-spirit health. So again: Eat food that has been prepared by hands, preferably your own, and say grace over it. Want more old-school fitness material? Click here to sign up for our 100% free program!

Wildwood: Learn to make some wild tea this spring. See the pics on the right. From left to right, these are all things I gathered and put in my dehydrator for homemade herbal tea — Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) leaves, Blackberry (Rubus L.) leaves and blossoms, and Chive blossoms (Allium schoenoprasum). Not pictured: rose petals and buds, dandelion blossoms, and mint leaves. There are tons of wild plants and flowers bursting into life right now. They’re fun to gather and brew and delicious to sip! Want to learn how? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Sunday 4/30/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36-41, Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b4, 5, 6, 1 Pt 2:20b-25, Jn 10:1-10

John 10:1-10  World English Bible Catholic Edition

1  “Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2  But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4  Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5  They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

7 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. 8  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9  I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out and will find pasture. 10  The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, and the good shepherd doesn’t force, threaten, or frighten the sheep.  This is a widely known leadership philosophy, one that has been attributed to everyone from Gen. George S. Patton to economist Maynard Keynes.  I’m not sure who said it first, but it goes like this: “People are like rope.  You can pull them, but you can’t push them.”† 

Jesus says, “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.”  A good shepherd pulls and leads the sheep.  He has a relationship with the sheep.  Look at it this way.  A gate is a line of defense.  When we push people, they get defensive.  The gates, as it were, are closed and locked.  But if we lead, inspire, and have a relationship with people, their defenses naturally open and they follow us.   

The sheep follow the good shepherd because they “know his voice” and “will by no means follow a stranger but will flee from him.”  Unlike Jesus, the Pharisees, push.  They don’t care about the defensive feelings of the people.  They force behavior by punishing lawbreakers.  Rather than loving the people as a good shepherd loves his sheep, they objectify the people, treating them like defendants in the legal framework of Hebraic law’s 613 commandments.  

All of this was on display in the previous episode in the Gospel of John.  Remember how the Pharisees were up in arms about Jesus’ healing of the blind man on the sabbath?  Remember how they dragged the blind man into court – twice! – and then his family as well?  This is precisely what Jesus is talking about. 

The thief and the bandit get what they want at the point of a weapon.  The robber says, “Give me all your money!”  A bad leader is like a robber.  Instead of demanding money or goods, a bad leader says, “Obey the rules or you will be punished!”  When Jesus says, “All who came before me are thieves and robbers” it is a bold and revolutionary statement!  All of the previous prophets – all of the leaders, teachers, and kings of the Hebrews – were pushing.  Unlike Jesus, they used threats and punishments to try and impose good behavior. 

Jesus still wants us to follow the rules – to obey the ten commandments, say our prayers, observe the holidays, participate in church rituals, and so on – but not out of fear.  He wants us to do it voluntarily, organically, from a place of love and inspiration.  He says, “The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”  He wants to come with him willingly, freely, and joyfully, and live with him in eternal life!

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† Those who are interested in this concept from a sociological, governmental, and/or business perspective should research the term “enforcement cost.”  The emotional, operational, and efficiency costs of excessive policies and procedures – a.k.a. “red tape” – is a massive drain on companies.  The fiscal costs of policing and litigation crushes societies and governments.  Examples are everywhere.  Getting people to cooperate and do things properly of their own accord saves individuals, communities, businesses and governments trillions of dollars – and makes them happier to boot!    

Mettle Maker #352 and Holy Communion for 4/23/23

EVENT DATE PUSHED TO OCTOBER 6TH - 8TH

Click the pic to get your ticks!

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 #352

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!

Click here to sign up for DAILY MOTIVATIONAL text messages!

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tHIS WEEK WE’RE REPOSTING AN OLD BUT A GOODIE FROM THIS TIME 3 YEARS AGO (METTLE MAKER #206) FROM 5/2/2020. eNJOY!

• Martial Arts: Warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes. Do 2-3 minutes each of (a) jumping rope (b) light calisthenics and (c) shadowboxing, mettle drills, or light heavy bag work, or 8 minutes of MBF. Then do a “Martial Arts Mix and Match.” Put in 4 rounds of action (beginner/intermediate 2:00 each, advanced 3:00) for a total of 8 to 12 minutes. Take as few 12-second breaks as you need. Do one round each of Lunges, Clocks, Low Crawl, Sled Pulls/Yanks. See video, left. Did you know we offer a free martial arts distance learning program? Click here to sign up.

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• Fitness: Do this the constitutional pictured on the right. Need help developing and sticking with a fitness program? Interested in learning outdoor skills? We’ve got both! Check our our free distance learning programs.

• Wildwood: Wind direction study. When you choose or make shelter, or just set up your camp, need to do so with cognizance of wind direction. You don’t want the wind blowing smoke and/or freezing air into your winter shelter, for example. Go for a walk and practice studying the terrain. Look at trees, from trunk to top. Examine the soil around them. Look at exposed ground, sand, and so forth. If you’re in town, or in the suburbs, look to see where debris and trash are accumulating. With just a little regular practice, you get really good at determining the prevailing wind direction. Interested in learning outdoor skills? We’ve got both! Check our our free distance learning programs.

• BONUS: Practice the Galahad Maneuver. Pick something you know isn’t good for you and make a substitution — a food or beverage, a form of entertainment, or even a person who’s a negative influence. Just 5 minutes of serious thought will reveal a list of stuff you know you shouldn’t be eating, watching, doing or associating with. Start with one of the easy ones and substitute a better choice. This is the trail-head that leads to the mountaintop of sacrifice. Keep going and perhaps one day you’ll come to see the world the way that Sir Galahad saw it when he said, “If I lose myself I save myself.” He gave away his wants and needs until there was only one thing left to relinquish — his ego. Remember, Galahad was the only Knight of the Round Table who saw the Grail. You are not your tastes, your needs, your wants, your favorites, or hobbies, or any of that. You are something much more than that. But you have to strip some things away to begin to see it. CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Sunday 4/23/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-33, Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11, 1 Pt 1:17-21, Lk 24:13-35

Luke 24:13-25  World English Bible Catholic Edition

13  Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia* from Jerusalem. 14  They talked with each other about all of these things which had happened. 15  While they talked and questioned together, Jesus himself came near, and went with them. 16  But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17  He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk, and are sad?”

18  One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things which have happened there in these days?”

19  He said to them, “What things?”

They said to him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; 20  and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21  But we were hoping that it was he who would redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22  Also, certain women of our company amazed us, having arrived early at the tomb; 23  and when they didn’t find his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24  Some of us went to the tomb and found it just like the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

25  He said to them, “Foolish people, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26  Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?” 27  Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28  They came near to the village where they were going, and he acted like he would go further.

29  They urged him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.”

He went in to stay with them. 30  When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave it to them. 31  Their eyes were opened and they recognized him; then he vanished out of their sight. 32  They said to one another, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?” 33  They rose up that very hour, returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, 34  saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35  They related the things that happened along the way, and how he was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

Brothers and sisters, in today’s Gospel reading we meet two disciples leaving Jerusalem in sadness, headed the wrong way.  Incredible things have happened and continued to happen, but they’re leaving the Holy City.  If this were a movie, we’d be yelling at the screen, “turn around, go back, you’re missing everything!”  But you see, they hadn’t seen the meaning in the prophecies and in Jesus’ teaching.  They had been sent into a tailspin by his death on a cross.  They were, in a sense, lost.

Isn’t that what this culture, this nation, is doing?  Going in the wrong direction?  Failing to see the meaning of the scriptures?  Failing to understand the prophecies?  Each year in the U.S. fifteen hundred churches shut their doors forever.  We too are headed away from Jerusalem, running from the truth. 

But Jesus was with the disciple Cleopas and his companion, right there in their midst, his identity unrecognized.  Jesus asks them to recount the events that had taken place, and to explain why they’re sad, and they do.  They know everything.  They have their facts straight and they can relate the proceedings perfectly.  But, as we know, there is no meaning inherent in facts.  Knowing facts is mere knowledge; wisdom is knowing what to do.  And so Jesus illuminates the events, the scriptures, and prophecies to them in such a way they begin to understand.  They ask for more.  When he appears to them in the breaking of the bread, it all comes together for them.  They get beyond the mere facts and receive wisdom -- that is, they begin to know what they must do.  They immediately change direction.  They head back to the Holy City of Jerusalem to rejoin the other disciples.

This culture also knows the facts.  The facts are all over the news!  We’re in the midst of a mental health crisis.  The demons of depression, addiction, apathy, and hopelessness drive 1.2 million people each year to attempt suicide in our country – about one-in-five of them teens – a 50% increase in the last twenty years.  Over 100,000 died from overdoses last year, five times more than just twenty years ago.  Just like Cleopas and his fellow disciple, this culture knows the facts, but it doesn’t see the meaning.  Jesus is walking among us right now.  But we don’t engage with him, we don’t have dialogue with him.  We don’t allow him to show us the meaning beyond the facts and the data.  And so, this culture continues to flounder.  It lacks wisdom.  It has no idea what to do.

The good news is this, everybody.  It’s what Jesus spoke to us when he was mercilessly nailed to the cross, as we read in Luke 23:34: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Jesus Christ is well aware that this culture and this nation knows not what it is doing.  Thank God, as Jesus himself has said, ignorance indeed a valid excuse. He forgives us, even as he forgave those who crucified him.  

There is still time to engage with him in dialogue.  To listen.  To accept his wisdom.  To change direction and return to the Holy City.

---

* 24:13 60 stadia = about 11 kilometers or about 7 miles.

Mettle Maker #351 and Holy Communion for 4/16/23

First Annual Heritage Arts Campout!

Click the pic to get your ticks!

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 #351

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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Self-Defense: What’s “Rough ‘n’ Tumble,” and it is a “real” martial art? Yes, Rough ‘n’ Tumble is a “real” martial art, although it was never formally codified. American Rough and Tumble is a self-defense oriented martial art that originated in the Southern Virginia backcountry during the Colonial Era but quickly grew, evolved, and spread throughout North America.

Rough ‘n’ Tumble used to be a household word. One of the United States’ finest wrestlers, the Godfather of Wrestling, Martin “Farmer” Burns, was a renowned Rough ‘n’ Tumbler, and so was his no-account father, whose exploits probably fueled Farmer Burns’ distaste for alcohol, tobacco, and other vices. For more info on Rough ‘n’ Tumble, the first and best resource is Elliott Gorn’s article available here. Like this sort of thing? Want to learn how to fight Rough ‘n’ Tumble style? Join the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA. Or, if distance learning is your thing, click here to enroll in the Heritage Arts Self-Defense distance learning program!

A World War I era poster (1917) promoting a healthy relationship with food

Fitness: Food, the old-fashioned way. The old-timers, on the main, had a far healthier outlook with regard to food. My grandmother Mitchell cooked either biscuits or cornbread for every meal (from scratch of course). But her portion sizes were smaller, and the recipes much lower in fat, than those in most restaurants and fast food joints today. She made dessert for every meal too — but it was usually something not at all decadent, like a square of gelatin with fruit or a dollop of whipped cream, a half a canned pear with a drizzle of raspberry syrup, a small brownie, or a couple of cookies. There were always at least two vegetables served at every meal — one green and one other — and a starch (potatoes, rice, or beans, rarely pasta).. Nothing went to waste, everything she bought was local. and in season. And, if you were overweight and you reached for seconds, you might have gotten a smack on the back of the hand (unless it was a holiday). We’d all do well to toss out all of the voodoo, fads, and crash diets and eat like grandma and grandpa. We’d be happier, healthier, and it would be good for our communities too. Want more old-school fitness material? Click here to sign up for our 100% free program!

Wildwood: Know your knots. The Bowline Hitch is one of the most useful knots there is — very helpful when you want a non-slipping loop in the end of a rope — see the photo set on the left. Want to learn more fun nature appreciation and survival skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, Sunday 4/16/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Acts 2:42-47, Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24, 1 Pt 1:3-9, Jn 20:19-31

John 20:19-31  World English Bible Catholic Edition

When therefore it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

20  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord. 21  Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22  When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! 23  If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained.”

24  But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus,‡ wasn’t with them when Jesus came. 25  The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26  After eight days, again his disciples were inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the middle, and said, “Peace be to you.” 27  Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.”

28  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

29  Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me,§ you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

30  Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; 31  but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

For Thomas, the death and resurrection of Jesus cannot be proved except by physical evidence -- placing his fingers in Jesus’ wounds and putting his hand in his side.  There were then, and there are now, many more men and women just like Thomas – those who need material proof in order to believe.  Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Indeed, blessed are they!

But the question is, where does that leave the doubting Thomases of today?  What are they supposed to do with their doubts?  And, when we’re evangelizing, how are we supposed to answer those who say, much the same as Thomas did, “Look buddy, you’re wasting your time.  I’m not believing in the resurrection until I place my fingers in the wounds of his hands, and put my hand into his side.”  Some will even say, “Your Jesus left you high and dry – you’ve got no proof.”

Well, I’ve got a very simple and direct answer that you can give to the doubting Thomases you encounter. And it goes like this.

My friend, you are not the first to want physical proof for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  One of his own disciples, named Thomas, when he received the news, doubted its truth until he was able to put his fingers into the wounds on Christ’s hands, and place his hand into the wound where Christ was pierced by a spear.  My friend, the body of Christ is alive and well, both literally and figuratively, because although Christ rose from the dead and, in a sense withdrew until he comes again, he left his mystical body, the church, “which is the blessed company of all faithful people” who are “heirs through hope” of his “everlasting kingdom” (BCP 1928).  We invite you, dear brother, to put your hand in our hand and to feel our wounds, and to place your hand into our side, and let us show you the reality of Christ. “For even as we have many members” we “who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Rom 12:4-5).

This is not a metaphor, my dear doubting friend.  Nor are these just some clever words.  Christians have believed from the earliest days of the church, that all believers taken together are the literal body of Christ on earth and have used that precise term. Christ knew this moment would come, and he left his body, the church, right here on earth so that you could test, and see, and have proof.

Many of us have been like you, alienated or even enemies of God, separated from him by doubts, misapprehensions, delusions, and immaturity. Many of us have been swayed by convincing skeptics, witty cynics, and naysayers.  But “don’t let anyone rob you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and the rudiments of the world”  from being made full.  “For in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily, and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Col 2:8-10).  The doors are open my friend.  Come inside, put your hand in ours, test and see for yourself the fullness, happiness, healing, forgiveness, and salvation that await you inside the body of Christ.

This is the good news we must share, brothers and sisters, with the doubting Thomases of this world.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‡ 20:24 or, Twin

§ 20:29 TR adds “Thomas,”

Mettle Maker #350 and Holy Communion for Easter 4/9/23

First Annual Heritage Arts Campout!

Click the pic to get your ticks!

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 #350

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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Self-Defense: How’s your neck? Yours truly has taken a deep dive into the life and work of Martin “Farmer” Burns, the "Father of American Wrestling.” If you want to have a neck that rivals the neck of a bull, use the Farmer Burns method. Watch the video on the left for the low-down. And if like this sort of thing, you might consider joining the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA. Or, if distance learning is your thing, click here to enroll in the Heritage Arts Self-Defense distance learning program!

Fitness: Dumbbells anyone? When old-timers talked about “lifting weights” they were referring to light dumbbells weighting between 2 and 5 lbs (1 or 2 kilos), often made of wood. These light dumbbells were just as often held by the ball as they were by the connecting bar. Reps were high, and the variety of exercises was great. Although there were exceptions (Farmer Burns, for example, recommended “snap” in most dumbbell movements), the watchwords of the old-timers were 1. slow pace, 2. total control throughout every movement, 3. full range of motion, 4. no bouncing or ballistics, and 5. a deep breath on every rep. Try out some of the movements in the photo set on the right.

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Wildwood: Know your spring edibles: dead-nettle. This is Lamium purpureum, a.k.a. '“purple deadnettle” or '“purple archangel.” It has a pleasant taste. Just take off the entire top of this extremely common weed and eat as a cooked green. Want to learn more wild edibles, as well as other fun nature appreciation and survival skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Brothers and sisters, today I’m delivering a beautiful homily that I found in an old book entitled “Homilies Preached at Alsbury” printed for private circulation by C. Goodwin Nortion of London in 1890.  The author’s name is not given, may God thank and bless him.  I hope you enjoy it.

“My Beloved spake unto me and said, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away, for lo! the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

This is the description, from the Song of Solomon, of the spring time, and of the joyousness which the flowers, and the singing of birds, and the coo of the turtle dove, and the bursting forth of the fruit-buds, produce in the hearts of those, who have passed through the winter, when all nature seems dead, and are able to rejoice at the return of spring, the foreshadowing in the natural kingdom of that time of joy and singing, when in the spiritual all things shall be made new, and all things shall be of God, when out of death life shall spring up, when light shall drive away the darkness, and the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Do not our hearts respond to this appeal, “Arise, and come away”?  Do we not hear in it a call to those, the blessed holy departed saints, who are gone into the land of forgetfulness, to prepare themselves to take again their bodies, and to burst through their cerements, to leave behind the grave-clothes, and to come forth arrayed in garments of glory and beauty, even the glory and beauty of Him, who appeared on the mount of transfiguration to the chosen disciples, His face shining as the sun, and His garment white as the light; and is it not at the same time a call to us to make ourselves ready?

The lilies, as we read, toil not neither do they spin, and the fowls of the air sow not, neither do they reap, yet our heavenly Father feedeth the fowls, and clotheth the lilies of the field, so that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these, though they are as the grass, which grows up to-day and to-morrow is cut down and withered ; and shall He not much more clothe and feed you? We, according to these figures, are taught to give up caring for this life what we eat, and for this body what we put on in the hope of being clothed with a body of glory, and being fed with the food of eternal life, and inheriting the kingdom and glory of Christ.

We wait, in common with those of our brethren, who have fallen asleep, for the call, “Arise and come away”; we wait and embody in our daily cry to the Lord the petition for our deliverance from the bondage of corruption into liberty and glory; and in this our cry we give expression to the longing desire of those, who have gone down into silence, who have fallen asleep, who have died in the faith, not having received the promises, who wait for the time of being made perfect not without us in the glory of the resurrection.

“Christ is risen,” is the song of our hearts. This day our mouth is filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing, because our captivity is at an end. If such is our experience of that salvation by hope, which we are now able to realize, what will be the joy unspeakable and full of glory which awaits us, when the day of the resurrection, to which Jesus Christ has attained, shall have come for us also? Then will be fulfilled the promise of the acceptable year of the Lord, when He shall appear again to give to them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

God who is rich in mercy, when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. If we then be risen with Christ, set your affections on things above. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear again, then shall we also appear with Him in glory.

Mettle Maker #349 and Holy Communion for Palm Sunday 4/2/23

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 #349

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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““If you wish to have a healthy body that will quickly obey the orders of the brain, exercise your body in the open air; keep the mind in action with pleasant, hopeful plans of the future.””

— Martin "Farmer" Burns

Martin “Farmer” Burns

Self-Defense: Coming soon the fighting and fitness secrets of Farmer Burns. Yours truly has been taking a deep dive into the life and work of Martin “Farmer” Burns. Farmer Burns is known as the "Father of American Wrestling.” A carnival wrestler who took on all comers and before eventually being a wrestling champion in three different weight classes, Burns was a small and wire 165-pound powerhouse. He neither swore, drank, nor smoked, and his conditioning was second to none. There is indeed a a great deal to be learned from this master of the martial arts, and I’ll be sharing more with you soon! If like this sort of thing, you might consider joining the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA. Or, if distance learning is your thing, click here to enroll in the Heritage Arts Self-Defense distance learning program!

Fitness: Take a hike. I know, we’ve been talking about pedestrianism quite a bit lately. But the fitness benefits are real! Go for a long walk and you can see really cool stuff. My son and I took a 10 mile walk the other day and we got to see one of the highest, longest pedestrian bridges in the world! Watch the short video on the right for more info.

Want more old-school fitness material? Click here to sign up for our 100% free program!

First Annual Heritage Arts Campout!

Click the pic to get your ticks!

Wildwood: Get your tickets for the first annual Heritage Arts Campout June 23rd - June 25th! The value you get for this ticket price is out of this world. Click here for event details, and if you’re looking for a remote lessons, click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Mettle Maker #348 and Holy Communion for 3/26/23

First Annual Heritage Arts Campout!

Click the pic to get your ticks!

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 #348

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!

Click here to sign up for DAILY MOTIVATIONAL text messages!

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Self-Defense: What’s your self-defense IQ? We recently launched a new self-defense series on YouTube called “Heritage Arts Self-Defense Tips” — clicking the link on the right and subscribe so that you get notified of new vids. And please pay no attention to the ridiculous cover picture! With YouTube shorts, it automatically picks the thumbnail, and you can’t change it. Yikes! Anyway, if like this sort of thing, you might consider joining the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA or click here to enroll in the Heritage Arts Self-Defense distance learning program!

Fitness: How do I get started in calisthenics? Perhaps too much of what we present around here advanced — what if you’ve never done calisthenics before and you don’t know to get started? Well, here is a beginner-level constitutional for people who are new to bodyweight work. (see below)

What’s a “constitutional?” According to Webster’s New International Dictionary (1913):

Con`sti*tu"tion*al, n. A walk or other exercise taken for one's health or constitution. [Colloq.] Thackeray.

That’s the way we mean it around here too, but it also means, more specifically, 7 different calisthenics exercises done in a session lasting 15 minutes or less.

Beginner Level Constitutional

Do as many reps of each exercise as you like, just make sure you don’t overdo it. Calisthenics can cause a fair amount of next-day-soreness for total beginners, so stop well before you start to get shaky, especially your first time out! Make sure that you

1. go at a slow pace (at least two Mississippis per rep).

2. exhibit total control throughout each movement

3. move full range of motion, and

4. breathe fully and deeply.

1.     Neck Crunches: Lay supine on back. Bring chin to chest for about 10 reps. Roll to your left side and bring ear to shoulder 10 times. Repeat on right side. Roll to belly. Look up and down slowly about 10 times

2.     Side Plank: Recumbent on left side, propped up on left elbow, spine straight. Hold until you sense instability ensuing, then stop and repeat on the right side.

3.     Front Plank: Start belly down. Prop yourself up on either forearms with arms bent, or on palms with arms straight. Hold until you sense instability ensuing , then stop.

4.     Single Leg Raise: Lay supine on back. Slowly raise left leg as high as you can (keeping right leg flat on floor). Repeat to desired count. Switch and repeat with right leg.

5.     Marching in Place: Arms bent, slowly raise left elbow and pull right elbow back as you raise your right knee. Switch sides and repeat to desired count.

6.     Jumping Jacks: Hop feet apart as you bring up your arms and touch hands together over your head, then hop feet together and slap thighs with palms. Repeat to desired count.

7.     Russian Squats: Take a relaxed step forward with left foot and place hands on hips. Keeping back straight, lower right knee within 4” of the floor. Straighten legs to come back up. Repeat to desired count. Switch foot positions and repeat to desired count.

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Carolina Chickadee (photo from Wikipedia). Click pic to listen!

Wildwood: Carolina Chickadees have an out-sized call, am I right? Last week we looked at how you can open your sensorium by tasting wine. How about by listening to birds and identifying their calls? This simple but pretty bird call goes “pwee pwee pwee pwee” and it belongs to the Carolina Chickadee (or maybe a Black Capped Chickadee — they swap calls sometimes). Click here to visit the Audubon Field Guide online and learn more. Listen to “four note song #2.” Their recording is way better than mine! Want to learn more about nature appreciation and survival? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Sunday 3/26/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Ez 37:12-14, Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, Rom 8:8-11, Jn 11:1-45

John 11:1-45  World English Bible Catholic Edition

1  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. 2  It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3  The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”

4  But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.” 5  Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6  When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. 7  Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”

8  The disciples asked him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9  Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10  But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.” 11  He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”

12  The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

13  Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep. 14  So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead. 15  I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.”

16  Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus,* said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s also go, that we may die with him.”

17  So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already. 18  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia† away. 19  Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20  Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21  Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22  Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

23  Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24  Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. 26  Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27  She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”

28  When she had said this, she went away and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here and is calling you.”

29  When she heard this, she arose quickly and went to him. 30  Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him. 31  Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

32  Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”

33  When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled, 34  and said, “Where have you laid him?”

They told him, “Lord, come and see.”

35  Jesus wept.

36  The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!” 37  Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?”

38  Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39  Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40  Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?”

41  So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.‡ Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me. 42  I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43  When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

44  He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth.

Jesus said to them, “Free him, and let him go.”

45  Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. 46  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47  The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs. 48  If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Brothers and sisters, we are all Lazarus.  Here we are, going about our lives, making a living, grocery shopping, doing chores, paying bills, celebrating holidays, and all of the usual work-a-day things we busy ourselves with, and then – bang! – suddenly we’re sick, maybe even terminally ill.  And where is Jesus when we need him?  Oh, he’s over in the next city, out there somewhere, so far away it seems.  And if we die?  Where is he then?  Many are the doubters who ask, “Why would a good God let a good man die?  Couldn’t he just stop it?”

The scripture doesn’t say what Jesus was up to that was so all-fired important that he lingered two days before heading out for Bethany to see Lazarus and his family.  When we fall sick, like Lazarus, or when, like Martha and Mary, a loved one is struck down, we wonder, don’t we, “What’s more important than me and my family?  What’s the hold up?”  That’s just how Martha and Mary of Bethany felt.  When Jesus showed up four days after their brother’s death, the first thing they said was, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”  But we can’t possibly know what God is up to.  The tiniest corner of God’s mind is beyond our comprehension.  Who are we to question God?

We have to have faith in the ultimate end of that plan: the blessed hope of the resurrection.  Again, many are those who doubt the historicity of Lazarus’s resurrection and the possibility of our resurrection in the future.  Like Martha, Mary, and the rest of Lazarus’ family, many grieve even though they’ve heard the Author of Life tell them what’s to come.  Why?  If you believe in the Creator of the Universe, and you know the Author of Life wrote all of creation into existence out of nothing, which is the greater miracle: creating and sustaining all of existence, or raising a man from the dead?  Jesus says, “Take away the stone” and Martha replies, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?”  No wonder Jesus is exasperated.  No wonder he, “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.”  He told them in advance what he was going to do, and still they couldn’t believe.

St. Paul says, “If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” (Rom 8:10).  When we live the Christian life, guided by the Holy Spirit, God’s righteousness enters us.  And, despite our faults and errors, Jesus Christ loves us and weeps for us just as he loved Lazarus and wept for him outside the tomb.  And that’s the good news everybody – many of us stink just as badly as Lazarus did after four days in the tomb.  But no matter how rotten we are, Jesus loves us just the same.  no matter how bad we stink, Jesus loves us, weeps for us, and is coming for us, bringing with him the blessed hope of the resurrection.

---

* 11:16 “Didymus” means “Twin”.

† 11:18 15 stadia is about 2.8 kilometers or 1.7 miles

‡ 11:41 NU omits “from the place where the dead man was lying.”

Sensorium: Mettle Maker #347 and Holy Communion for 3/19/23

First Annual Heritage Arts Campout!

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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 #347

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““I would advise you when You do fight Not to act like Tygers and Bears as these Virginians do – Biting one anothers Lips and Noses off, and gowging one another – that is, thrusting out one anothers Eyes, and kicking one another on the Cods, to the Great damage of many a Poor Woman.” ”

— Charles Woodmason, Burlesque Sermon, 1760-1770

Self-Defense: What in tarnation is American Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts? Here at Heritage Self-Defense, we practice 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 physical culture and spiritual development. Want to learn more about Rough ‘n’ Tumble? If technical, historical information is your speed, check out this great article by E. J. Gorn originally published by the American Historical Association or check out this fun historical research blog called Gouger’s Bible. But if something more popular is your speed, here’s a piece courtesy of Vice Sports. Of course, for best info on American Rough ‘n’ Tumble join the Heritage Self-Defense club in Richmond, VA or click here to join the Heritage Arts Self-Defense distance learning program!

Fitness: Fit to do what? Yeah, yeah, we know, we ask that question a lot around here. How about fit enough to move through the environment? The great Theodore Roosevelt was famous for his “walks” which he continued to do even when he was President of the United States. He was fond, you see, of walking through the woods “point to point” — in other words, his rule was that you had to ford any creeks, clamber over rocks and trees, and get through any thickets — no exceptions. Here’s a fun and famous story about Jean Jules Jusserand, the ambassador of France, getting looped into a “walk” with T. R. Okay, so, watch the video on the left, and get to scrambling! Want more old-school fitness material? Click here to sign up for our 100% free program!

An old chianti bottle once used for a candle holder

Wildwood: Who knew you could practice primitive skills at a wine tasting? Yes, you can open your sensorium by tasting wine. I was never able to taste any of the crazy stuff that hoity-toity wine people say they taste in wine. You know, like minerality, specific fruits, and all of that. That is until, in the course of reading about how historical trackers and indigenous people could taste the air and smell much more acutely, I began to think that my inability to taste things in wine might be attributable to having the wrong mindset. I began to consider that just as “instinct” and “intuition” are mostly about being open to more input — perceiving with our whole bodies, the air moving the hair on our skin, the sun on our face to tell direction, peripheral vision sensing movement, etc. — I should be open to any opportunity to improve my sensorium. So, when a Master Sommelier invited me to a wine tasting, I jumped at the chance. He took me under his wing, and bang! On my very first try I tasked all kinds of fancy-pantsy stuff — hints of leather, dried fruit, and jam — all of which my guide assured me were valid perceptions. Just as a tracker or a martial artist trusts his instincts, a wine taster does the same. There are a few tricks though — some physical hacks for tasting and smelling more. Sound fun? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Sunday 3/19/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a, Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Eph 5:8-14, Jn 9:1-41

1  As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3  Jesus answered, “This man didn’t sin, nor did his parents, but that the works of God might be revealed in him. 4  I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. 5  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6  When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, 7  and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.

8  Therefore the neighbors and those who saw that he was blind before said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?” 9  Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.”

He said, “I am he.”

10  They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”

11  He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”

12  Then they asked him, “Where is he?”

He said, “I don’t know.”

13  They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14  It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15  Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”

16  Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.”

Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was division among them.

17  Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?”

He said, “He is a prophet.”

18  The Jews therefore didn’t believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight, 19  and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20  His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21  but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23  Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”

24  So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”

25  He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

26  They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27  He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”

28  They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29  We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”

30  The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31  We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he listens to him.✡ 32  Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. 33  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34  They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” Then they threw him out.

35  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

36  He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”

37  Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”

38  He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.

39  Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”

40  Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”

41  Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”

I love folk remedies.  They’ve always fascinated me. Tricks like rubbing dirt on a bruise, putting butter on a burn, drinking the juice off a can of fruit for heartburn, and stopping a headache with a hot footbath.  The first two don’t work, by the way, but science backs up the second two.  So is that what Jesus is doing in today’s reading?  When he makes a bit of clay from dirt and spit, is he practicing a folk remedy or perhaps casting a magic spell?  No, I don’t think Jesus is doing either of those things. I think he is physically illustrating or acting out an important concept. 

Look at it this way.  A modern businessperson illustrates sales trends using charts and graphs.  A science teacher spins a small weight on a string to demonstrate centrifugal force.  Actors and actresses, through plays, shows, and movie dramatizations, help us better understand complex social situations.  They help us empathize with real people long after the show is over. And what Jesus does with his dramatization is blind the blind man with clay so that the Pharisees may see.   Isn’t that something?

Remember, the disciples asked Jesus whose sin caused the man’s blindness and Jesus said nobody’s sin did.  Jesus knew how the Pharisees were going to react to his little reality play.  So he answered the disciples, “it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”  Jesus knew that the Pharisees were blinded by their laws and rules.  He knew that they would consider it impossible for a sinful man like him, who broke the sabbath rules, to perform signs – even if they saw the evidence and heard the testimony.  Jesus knew that, for the Pharisees, illnesses, calamities, and catastrophes of all kinds were considered proof of sin.  Therefore he knew that the Pharisees would consider the man’s testimony untrustworthy because he worn blind – born in sin.  And Jesus is right.  When the blind man tells the Pharisees the truth of his cure, the Pharisees’ answer is, “You were born totally in sin, and you are trying to teach us?” and they threw him out of their midst. 

By covering the blind man’s eyes with clay, Jesus shows – the same way an actor dramatizes a story -- that the Pharisees are blind to their own blindness.  Not only are they blind to the miracle Jesus has performed, they are blind to the wrong-headedness of their presuppositions.¹  And by washing away the clay to heal the man, Jesus shows that only by becoming aware of their blindness do the Pharisees have any hope of salvation.  This is why Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”

The one who thinks he knows everything is closed to new knowledge.  Ignorant of his own ignorance, he is blind to his own blindness and bound to remain in darkness.  Only by becoming aware of our ignorance and faults can we open our eyes and move toward the light.

✡ 9:31 Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 15:29; 28:9

¹ To my knowledge this is the oldest known example of the concept, popularized in 2002 by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, of “unknown unknowns” – things that we do not know that we do not know.  The so-called “Rumsfeld Matrix” consists of four possibilities: (1) known knowns, or things that we know and are aware of, (2) known unknowns, or things that we do not know and are fully aware that we do not know, (3) unknown unknowns, or things that we don’t know that we don’t know, and (4) unknown knowns, or things that we know but do not explore because they conflict with our preferred worldview.  The Pharisees belong in the fourth category – the willfully blind.

---

*4:6 noon

†4:25 “Messiah” (Hebrew) and “Christ” (Greek) both mean “Anointed One”.

Slower: Mettle Maker #346 and Holy Communion for 3/12/23

First Annual Heritage Arts Campout!

Click the pic to get your ticks!

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 #346

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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Self-Defense: Make a paper grocery list. Why? Because if you make a list on your cell phone, every time you check it you’re going to see an alert, notification, email, text message, or whatever. And that means that you’ll end up being glued to the phone for the entire trip instead of paying attention to your environment and actually shopping. You’ll get done faster, enjoy the trip more, be more aware of threats, and perhaps even have some enriching interactions with actual people. If your nose is in your phone, you might not spot your co-worker or neighbor on the product aisle, or spot Jennifer, your favorite cashier, or Michael, the college-bound produce guy. Pay for groceries and get something to eat. Pay attention and get safety, engagement, and enrichment of experience. Get there. Interested a martial arts distance learning program that’s 100% free? Click here to join the Heritage Arts Self-Defense program!

Fitness: Try out some old-school calisthenics. See the video on the right? Here are three old-school calisthenics being done the old-school way, which means they are done:

1. At a very slow pace

2. With total control throughout the movement

3. With full range of motion

4. Without bouncing or ballistics

5. With a deep breath on every rep

Try out the three calisthenics in the video — Pliets, Push-ups, and Bicycles (note that the old-schoolers didn’t crunch on those Bicycles!). Make sure you observe the 5 rules. Do 3 sets of 8 reps or so and let me know what you think in the comments. Want more old-school fitness material? Click here to sign up for our 100% free program!

Wildwood: “Learning outdoor skills is a total waste of time.” Hogwash. I’ve got 15 reasons why it isn’t. Being outside reduces stress, cortisol levels, muscle tension and heart rates – all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease – and increases focus and attention (Avitt 2021). That’s 5. Participants in one study reported a 64% increase in life satisfaction after spending just 20 minutes in a natural setting. No wonder -- spending time outside boosts Vitamin D levels, lowers blood pressure, improves sleep, relieves pain, and boosts immunity. Now we’re at 11 reasons for learning outdoor skills. It also reduces inflammation (which has been linked to numerous health problems, including cancer, autoimmune disorders) and rates of depression (Singh 2019). That’s 13.

And the benefits aren’t just available to individuals. Cleaning up abandoned lots to plant trees and gardens, and introducing parks to high crime areas, improves relationships between neighbors, which results in reduced crime and depression rates (Avitt 2021). Just make sure you leave your cell phone in your pocket, and don’t wear earbuds. Unplugging from technology, especially social media, and giving your mind a much-needed break, gets your juices flowing. Really engaging with nature, paying full attention to the environment, recharges your batteries of attention, leading to increased creativity (Main 2012). There you go — 15 reasons why learning outdoor skills might save your life and rescue your community from depression and crime! Interested in learning outdoor skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, Sunday 3/12/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Ex 17:3-7, Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9, Rom 5:1-2, 5-8, Jn 4:5-42

John 4:5-42  World English Bible Catholic Edition

So he came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6  Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.*

7  A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8  For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9  The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

10  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

11  The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water? 12  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?”

13  Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

15  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.”

16  Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

17  The woman answered, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’ 18  for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.”

19  The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20  Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

21  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22  You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. 23  But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. 24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25  The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming, he who is called Christ.† When he has come, he will declare to us all things.”

26  Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”

27  Just then, his disciples came. They marveled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?” 28  So the woman left her water pot, went away into the city, and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done. Can this be the Christ?” 30  They went out of the city, and were coming to him.

31  In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

32  But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

33  The disciples therefore said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?”

34  Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35  Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest?’ Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already. 36  He who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37  For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38  I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

39  From that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, “He told me everything that I have done.” 40  So when the Samaritans came to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed there two days. 41  Many more believed because of his word. 42  They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Brothers and sisters, last week I spoke about how Peter was overwhelmed by seeing Jesus transfigured and flanked by Moses and Elijah.  Peter lost his logical and philosophical grasp on the nature of Jesus and the prophets.  The great apostle offered to pitch tents for all three of them, even though Moses and Elijah, having passed on many years before, clearly had no need for tents!

This week we read the story of the Samaritan woman who, like Peter, gets confused about the nature of God and Jesus.  To get down the source of her confusion, we should consider that pagan gods were tied to specific places and peoples.  In those days, religion, location, and culture -- food, climate, government, all of it – could not be disentangled.  Caesar was a Roman god and ruler of the Roman people and the Roman empire.  Egyptian pharaohs were gods, and the entire point of Egyptian religion was to maintain maat, the universal order that guaranteed the yearly floods which brought fertility to the Nile Delta and the Egyptian empire.  Even the Jews believed that Jerusalem was the center of worship for Yahweh.  Just as modern Muslims pray toward Mecca, Jews in Jesus’ day prayed toward Jerusalem.

So it’s not surprising that the Samaritan woman would say, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”  What’s remarkable is that Jesus would reply her that that there is no single geographic place where Yahweh should be worshipped.  Jesus says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

What is remarkable about the God of the Jews is that he is not limited by space or connected to one nation or culture like the Roman or Egyptian gods.  He is the God of all who loves all.

What is remarkable is that God is not a god of nature, associated with some natural phenomena like lightning, depicted with an animal head, or associated with a planet.  He is the God who created nature, animals, and planets. 

What’s remarkable is that when Moses asks for his name (Ex 3:14), God’s answer isn’t even a noun – it’s a verb, and it’s a riddle.  It’s usually translated as “I am who I am” but even scholars can’t agree if that’s correct.  It has been rendered as “I am and I will be”, "I am that I am", "I am what I am", "I will be what I will be", and even as "I will become what I will become.”

How astonishing and remarkable that is!

People in the world today continue to struggle with the same questions and problems they struggled with in Jesus’ day, although many do not know it.  Consciously or unconsciously, many worship the gods of place -- flags, political people, parties, and pundits -- the gods of nature -- environmentalism, sex, food, magic crystals -- and the planetary gods of astrology and divination.  And, just as the people in the biblical stories struggled, we in the church also struggle to understand, and put into practice, the meaning and implications of God and his word.

Following in the footsteps of the woman at the well, let us have the desire embrace the message of Jesus and the implications of this unique God and Savior, and carry that message back to those in need of answers to life’s most difficult questions.

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*4:6 noon

†4:25 “Messiah” (Hebrew) and “Christ” (Greek) both mean “Anointed One”.

Gimme Shelter: Mettle Maker #345 and Holy Communion for 3/5/23

First Annual Heritage Arts Campout!

Click the pic to get your ticks!

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 #345

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!

Click here to sign up for DAILY MOTIVATIONAL text messages!

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Fitness and Self-Defense combo: How are your pedestrianism skills?

“For short-distance matches, in which contests up to twenty-five miles are included, the number of scientific walkers is reasonably large…” Handbook of Summer Athletic Sports. Capt. Fred Whittaker editor (1880)

Pedestrianism was a 19th-century form of competitive walking, both amateur and professional, in which participants traversed long distances to win trophies, belts, fame, and fortune (large bets were common). Modern racewalking owes its origins to this delightful ancestor.

Walking is one of the best ways to lose weight and shed fat. And, unlike other forms of exercise, like running, biking, jumping rope, etc. walking is extremely low impact — which means it doesn’t interfere with athletic performance in other sports. That’s why it’s so often used by bodybuilders and boxers to shed fat. A 150 lb. athlete can burn 266 calories per hour walking and still be ready for an event.

Probably the greatest walker of all time was Edward Payson Weston.  His walking feats are legendary.  His first walk of renown was occasioned by the loss of a bet on the results of the 1860 U.S. Presidential election.  Weston bet against Lincoln and had to walk from Boston to Washington D.C. -- a staggering 478 miles! -- through late February weather including rain and snow.  He completed the walk in just 10 days and 10 hours.  Arriving in the capital only a few hours before President-elect Lincoln’s inaugural ball, Weston was totally un-depleted by the endeavor and was able to attend the event.  Weston lived to the age of 90.  Among his eventual feats were:

• ·       Portland, Maine to Chicago, Illinois -- 1200 miles (1900 km) in 26 days (1867)

• ·       1058 miles (1703 km) in 30 days (1869)

• ·       200 miles backward (1871)

• ·       First man to walk 500 miles in six days (1874)

• ·       109.5 miles in 24 hours (1876)

• ·       550 miles in 141 hours 44 minutes (1879)

• ·       5000 miles in 100 days (1884)

If you’re not walking on a regular basis, you don’t know what you’re missing. Need help designing your fitness program? Interested in a realistic and free self-defense program that includes empty hand techniques as well as weapons? Click here to sign up for one of our 100% free programs!

First Annual

Wildwood: Sure, you can build a debris hut on paper — but can you do it in real life? Theory and practice are two different things. Below is a photo set from one of my primitive solos. I started by finding a stick to use as a rake. I used that to clear the area of leaves and litter. it was quite hot, and I knew I’d be cooler if I was on a tarp on the ground. If it had been cold outside, I would’ve left the debris for ground insulation. Then I bult the frame and raked the leaves over. It took several hours. By the time I was finished, after hiking all day and all that work, I was exhausted, slightly dehydrated, and I had a migraine. I crawled into that shelter, drank water non-stop, and watched the rain roll in. Need more nature appreciation and survival insights? Click here and sign up for the free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, Sunday 3/5/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Gn 12:1-4a, Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22., 2 Tm 1:8b-10, Mt 17:1-9

Mt 17:1-9  World English Bible Catholic Edition

1  After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. 2  He was changed* before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. 3  Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

4  Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let’s make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

6  When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. 7  Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid.” 8  Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone.

9  As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”

The desire to categorize people, objects, and ideas is perfectly natural. To some extent at least, we all want to put things in the appropriate box.  In Genesis, the first thing Adam does is name all the plants and animals.  Nowadays we arrange animals into genus and species, like Homo Sapiens or Tyrannosaurus Rex.  We do this because we want to know what things are, how to interact with them, and how to use them properly.  We put tools on the wall of our garage in a systematic manner – screwdrivers over here, wrenches over there, and so on.  We do the same with ideas – Philosophy on this side, Math on that side, Linguistics over here, etc.

 Categories provide utility.  Objects and ideas handily organized allow us to build things -- material things, like houses, furniture, and cars, and less tangible things, like cohesive arguments, tactical plans, and systems of government.  Properly categorizing things is a skill associated with high performing, successful individuals like Peter – a religious leader in charge of managing an association of apostles, and later, the nascent church.

Peter’s problem in today’s reading is that creating proper categories and putting them into action is easy on paper, but extremely difficult in practice.  Certainly, Peter knows intellectually that Jesus, Moses and Elijah are in different categories, and that neither Moses nor Elijah has any need for shelter.  But he still suggests building tents.  This isn’t the first time that Peter has made this error. Previously, in Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:15-23), when Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Immediately afterward however, when Jesus suggests that his fate is to die, Peter strenuously objects, and Jesus says, “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.”  We shouldn’t be shocked to see Peter’s logic overwhelmed at the Transfiguration.

Peter’s problem, which Jesus certainly understands, is a very human problem, one that all of us struggle with in everyday life.  We still struggle and fail to act out the things we understand in our hearts and minds. Jesus knows how hard this is.  Inside the church, we Christians are still doing it – that is, failing to behave in a manner consistent with our rules and philosophy. 

 And outside the faith, Jesus is often placed in the same category as Moses, Elijah, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, or the Dalai Lama – just another spiritual teacher. But we must get clear on this ourselves, and we must make it clear to the world.  Jesus breaks all categories. He is not like Moses. He is not like Elijah.  He is in a category of One.  He is God, the Creator and Logos.  His words are not the words of a man.  Jesus is unique. He died. He descended into hell. And on the third day, he rose again from the dead. He sits at the right hand of the father. From thence he will come to judge the quick and the dead.

*17:2 or, transfigured

Spectatoritis: Mettle Maker #344 and Holy Communion for 2/26/23

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 #344

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Self-Defense: Next week is weapon week. Are you prepped to hit a real target as hard as you can with your chosen weapon or weapons? Just because sparring is good for hand-to-hand skills doesn’t mean that sparring with padded weapons is good for your weapon skills. Hands and feet are not deadly. Weapons are. Much of what makes weapons effective is that they cause serious pain and/or death. If you pad them up and spar, you begin to use them, and engage with them, in a manner that is unrealistic. You cease to fear them, and you cease to use them the way they should be used. Look at this way: If you are digging a hole, do you play around with the shovel? Or do you stand on the back of its spade and thrust it into the dirt as deeply as you can? If you’re driving a stake into the ground, or chopping wood, do you gently tap it with your sledge or axe, changing position frequently and striking hesitantly? Or do you hit it with all your worth and get it done? Full force and intent are the name of the game with real tools. Set up a forging post and hit it with your chosen edged weapon. Hang a heavy bag, and hit it with your sticks and other blunt weapons. Strike as hard as you can. Weapons are tools, not toys. Interested in a realistic and free self-defense program that includes empty hand techniques as well as weapons? Click here — did I mention it’s 100% free because we’re a 501(c)(3) charity?

Fitness and Wildwood combo: Do you have “spectatoritis?” In 1932, Jay B. Nash wrote his influential book Spectatoritis. Nash saw and felt the dawn of the industrial age, and his sought to address what he saw as the rise of time wasted in empty amusement rather invested in truly enriching and engaging activities. What do you suppose Nash would think if he saw what Americans did their time today? The poor fellow would die in a fit of apoplexy! Click here for more information on the so-called “Nash pyramid.” Anyway, stop and take an inventory. How much time do you spend each week in passive amusement, like watching TV, sports, and movies, playing video games, scrolling TikTok on your cell phone, and so forth? How much of that time could you convert to truly active pass-times? Looking for something worthwhile to do? Click here and sign up for one of our free programs!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Sunday 2/26/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17, Rom 5:12-19, Mt 4:1-11

Mt 4:11  World English Bible Catholic Edition

1  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2  When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward. 3  The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4  But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.’ ”✡

5  Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6  and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and,

‘On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’ ”✡

7  Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’ ”✡

8  Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9  He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”

10  Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me,* Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’ ” ✡

11  Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus recapitulates the stories of Noah, and Moses, and the entire Hebrew people. Just as Noah captained his people through forty days of flood in the ark, and Moses shepherded his people through the forty years of the exodus from Egypt, Jesus is shepherding us through our lives by facing his forty days in the wilderness. 

 An adult life in biblical times was about forty years. For modern people it’s a bit longer, but still: over the course of our adult lives, we live out the story told here in Matthew, this eternal, ever-repeating journey.  We weather the storms and flood waters of temptation right along with Noah and his family.  We wander through the wilderness with Moses and the people.  We walk in the wilderness with Jesus, and we are tempted. 

Try as we might, we cannot transform stones to bread.  That is, we cannot make material goods into things that nourish us.  Only God can do that.  When we rightly order our lives, putting him first and everything we do and possess in service to him and his purposes, our stones in a sense become bread.  With God, our possessions become worthy, our food nourishes us to worthwhile activities, our entertainment is enriched, our money serves admirable purposes, and so on.

But if we think that even rightly ordered material goods are all we need to be fully nourished – nourished unto eternal life! – we’re kidding ourselves.  “Man can’t live by bread alone.” The wealthy are often just as miserable as the poor and starving, suffering with family discord, depression, lack of fulfillment, and so on.  And aren’t those in prison well-fed?  Is bread all they need?  Certainly it’s better to walk the straight and narrow, to work hard to feed ourselves so that we don’t starve.  But if we think that we can nourish our hearts, minds, and souls just by striving for material nourishment, we’re doomed to unhappiness, starvation, and death – the spiritual death of separation from God.

Putting our faith in anything other than God, emotionally or physically, is like jumping from a high place and expecting to be caught.  Maybe we rely on our government, leach from our parents, and borrow from our friends.  Maybe we base our entire happiness on certain relationships, on our spouse or our kids.  But all of those things will run its course and be gone in time.  We have thrown ourselves off a high place and we are falling fast.  The view is great and wind feels nice in our hair.  But we are, as my mother used to say, “cruising for a bruising.”  Sooner or later, when we’ve exploited every resource and there’s nothing left to hold onto, we’ll hit the ground.  We’ll realize too late that our faith was misplaced, and that we tempted God.

The devil is a liar.  Even if we worship him, we still might not get the rewards that the world has to offer.  But if we worship God and God alone, we will, in the fullness of time, make it to dry land, reach the promised land, and share in the blessed hope of the resurrection.

---

✡4:4 Deuteronomy 8:3

✡4:6 Psalm 91:11-12

✡4:7 Deuteronomy 6:16

*4:10 TR and NU read “Go away” instead of “Get behind me”

✡4:10 Deuteronomy 6:13

Mettle Maker #343 and Holy Communion for 2/19/23

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!

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

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”.

Mettle Maker #342 and Holy Communion for 2/12/23

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 #342

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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Self-Defense: Next week is grappling week. Let’s do a grappling-specific constitutional. Here are your seven exercises. See if you can get 25 reps of each in 15 minutes: BKF, GUP, DDU, SPL, SHT, SDF, and RSQ. Wait — you don’t know what those abbreviations stand for? Well, if you’re doing Heritage Self-Defense, you should be using the Constitutional Sheet which contains all of the abbreviations, and if you need to see them demonstrated, you should reference the video above/right. Looking for a comprehensive, mind-body-spirit self-defense training course? Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Self-Defense Distance Learning Program.

Fitness: Fat burning zones: true or false? Well, both! Sometimes the facts stand in the way of the greater truth! Yes, it’s true that activities that put you in the “fat-burning range” (about 50% - 60% of max heart rate) do indeed burn more fat than more strenuous activities as a percentage of total calories burned. But more strenuous activities burn more calories over all, which means that even though the fat percentage burned per minute is lower, if the training sessions are of equal time, the total fat burned for the more strenuous training session is still greater. If getting lean (either to look good or for athletic performance) is the issue, the biggest bang for your time and effort is in the kitchen. Also to be considered is the wear and tear on your body — making sure that your fat cutting doesn’t affect your overall training program. Need help designing a training program? Click here — we can help.

Wildwood: Do you know your first-aid basics? Here’s short recap from the Wildwood Workbook, the textbook for this program. Click here to sign up — it’s totally free!

First Aid Recap

 I’m not a doctor, nurse, EMT, and this is not a substitute for a good first aid manual or first aid class. The American Red Cross provides both for free — the first aid manual is available free here (click this link to view, print, or save on your computer).  In the meantime, here are the first aid bullet points when someone is hurt. 

* Stay calm.  You’re no good if you’re flustered.

* Assess danger.  Ensure the area is safe for yourself and the injured person.

* Check for a response.  Ask his or her name.  Squeeze hands and shoulders.

* If non-responsive, call 9-1-1 if you can.

* Place victim on his or her side in Recovery Position, upper leg bent, lower leg straight (see illustration).

* Remember ABC -- Airway, Breathing and Circulation -- in that order.

* Establish open airways.  Make sure nothing is stopping up nose or mouth.  If so, clear them. 

* Check breathing.  Look and listen for 10 seconds.  Administer the Heimlich maneuver to a choking adult.  If an infant or toddler is choking, place them face down on a decline with head lower than feet and carefully pat them on the back.

* If person is not choking but breathing is still not normal, start CPR if you know how.  If you don’t, learn.

* If breathing is OK, check for bleeding.  Apply direct pressure to open wounds.

* Assess for signs of shock: weakness, rapid heart rate, fast breathing, sweating, and confusion.  If you believe the person is going into shock, cover them with whatever you have to get them warm, and elevate feet about 12 inches.  Keep them talking if they are conscious.   Speak soothingly and keep them calm.

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2/12/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Sir 15:15-20, Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34, 1 Cor 2:6-10, Mt 5:17-37

Matthew 5:17-37  World English Bible Catholic Edition

17  “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18  For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter† or one tiny pen stroke‡ shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. 19  Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20  For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

21  “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’✡ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22  But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause § will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ * will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.†

23  “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 24  leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25  Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. 26  Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.‡

27  “You have heard that it was said, § ‘You shall not commit adultery;’✡ 28  but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29  If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.* 30  If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.†

31  “It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’✡ 32  but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

33  “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’✡ 34  but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35  nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36  Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black. 37  But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

The expression “the spirit of the law” is widely used by Christians and non-Christians alike, and I believe today’s gospel reading is its origin.  We are all well aware of the problem.  We know that we must have laws and rules.  Without them we’d be crippled by the chaos of contention, confusion, and conflict.  But for every set of rules there will always be people who specialize in exploiting the gaps between the rules in order take advantage, rather than attempting to sincerely adhere to them.

We all know what this looks like.  In sports, when one team is ahead, it’s perfectly legal to run out the clock.  But it’s not in the true spirit of competition to win a basketball game by dribbling, passing, and playing keep-away; nor is it in the true spirit of sport for a quarterback to take a knee to prevent the other team from having any opportunity to get a turnover and score a last-second touchdown. 

Lawyers are another great example.  “What’s the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a law office?  Nothing – they’re both filled up with dirt-bags.” We laugh at the joke because it diffuses the tension and discomfort we feel when attorneys twist, manipulate, and take advantage of the rules — because we’re well aware how profoundly dangerous it is for them to do so.  Miscarriages of justice are the result – the guilty go free, the innocent are punished, and the only winner is the attorney, who happily banks his fees.

It's good that we appreciate the true intent of laws and rules, and that we push back against perversions and exploitations of them.  That’s great, as far as it goes.  But Jesus tells us in today’s reading, that we need to go far, far deeper than that.  He wants us to embody the spirit of the law – the Holy Spirit.  He wants us to keep God’s laws inherently, by naturally embodying the characteristics that conform to the laws.  He’s looking for fundamental change through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We are far too weak and faulty to do this by sheer force of will.  If we’re to have any hope of being absent of anger, we need the Holy Spirit.  If we’re going rid ourselves of the lust of our eyes, we need the Holy Spirit.  If we’re to be completely faithful in our obligations, we need the Holy Spirit.  Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may descend upon us as it descended upon Christ and in turn upon the disciples at Pentecost, and that, to the highest degree possible in keeping with our human nature, we might personify the consciousness of Christ. 

---

‡5:18 or, serif

✡5:21 Exodus 20:13

§5:22 NU omits “without a cause”.

*5:22 “Raca” is an Aramaic insult, related to the word for “empty” and conveying the idea of empty-headedness.

†5:22 or, Hell

‡5:26 literally, kodrantes. A kodrantes was a small copper coin worth about 2 lepta (widow’s mites)—not enough to buy very much of anything.

§5:27 TR adds “to the ancients”.

✡5:27 Exodus 20:14

*5:29 or, Hell

†5:30 or, Hell

✡5:31 Deuteronomy 24:1

✡5:33 Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:4

Mettle Maker #341 and Holy Communion for 2/5/23

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 #341

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!

Click here to sign up for DAILY MOTIVATIONAL text messages!

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Self-Defense: Next week is striking week. Let’s focus on power. I almost never share material that isn’t original to our programs. But the video on the right, by Bas Rutten, is really good, and it works for self-defense — all you have to do is (a) disregard the “change-up” material that pertains to sports, and (b) use only techniques that are street-ready (knuckle punch to the neck, heart, or solar plexus rather than the face, etc.). Looking for a comprehensive self-defense training course? Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Self-Defense Distance Learning Program.

Fitness and Wildwood combo: Take a hike. My son and I reserved a campsite once. When we got there. we found out that the nearest water source was labeled contaminated, and we had to hike all our water a half-mile one-way. We didn’t have backpacks with us, so we had to hand-carry it, and it was miserable. Fitness lesson learned. I know what you’re thinking. “I’d be fine, how hard could it be?” You’re wrong. The the reality is, even carrying a heavy backpack is harder than you think. A hike with a 30 lb. backpack or with an 8 lb. gallon of water in each hand, can be a real problem if you’re unprepared. Last week I showed you now to make sandbags. Make some. Put one in a backpack and get started. Work your way up. And make sure that your fitness regimen contains heavy carries of various kinds to make sure that you can carry awkward weights in your hands, not just weights evenly distributed via shoulder straps. Want more fitness and outdoor skills material? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs.

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2/5/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Is 58:7-10, Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 1 Cor 2:1-5, Mt 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13-16  World English Bible

13  “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

14  You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 15  Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. 16  Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Our relationship with salt and light is much different today than it was two millennia ago.  We take salt and light for granted.  These days, we are told to watch our salt intake.  The doctor wants us to keep it below 2,300 mg a day, but the average American takes in around 3,400, almost 50% more than recommended.  We get too much salt! 

But in Jesus’ time, salt was a precious commodity, sometimes used as international currency.  Every major city in the ancient world was built near a liberal salt source.  Solnitsata in Bulgaria is the oldest town in Europe, and it was built around a salt mine.  Salt was the only reliable means of preserving food in those days.  Every army ran on salt rations, which is the origin of the phrase, “earning your salt.”  The word salary comes from the Latin salarium which means “related to salt.”  There was little processed food in those days, and getting enough salt was far more difficult – especially when you consider that a typical, pre-industrial manual laborer burns up to three-and-a-half times as many calories as we modern folks do!  Lack of salt causes headaches, weakness, muscle aches and cramps, and in extreme cases, death.

What about light?  Light pollution is one of reasons that modern people don’t get enough rest.  Street lights, headlights, flashlights, flood lights and garden footlights make the outdoor environment awash with light.  Cellphones, tablets, and TV screens do the same indoors.  Almost every appliance has some kind of glowing clock, display, or led light on it.  The power lights on my cable box and digital router are so bright I can practically read by them. 

But light was an expensive resource in Jesus’ day.  The average person used the cheapest fats and oils to power lamps, which meant that for common people, lamps were smelly, smoky, and hard to keep going.  Only the wealthy could afford to burn the good stuff, and could enjoy clear, odor-free, consistent illumination.  And gathering and cutting wood was hard work.  Who would want to waste it on bonfires?

Okay.  So now, as modern disciples, let’s hear Jesus’ words with the same ears with which the disciples heard them all those years ago.  We are the salt of the earth.  We bring the words, the teaching, the messages that make the world function.  We are the salt that keeps laborers producing good works.  We ensure that the shepherds of men will not tire of leading their flocks, that soldiers fighting in the war against evil will not falter, and that political and social bodies will not seize up, cramp, and stumble.  We are the salt that preserves God’s wisdom and allows it to be feed the world’s hungry millions!

Jesus wants us to be the essential element of the culture, to be the substance that energizes its essential functions.  He wants us to illuminate the society from within, the way a lamp brightens a home and the way a city’s bonfires make it visible from afar.  To all of those wayfarers wandering in the darkness of confusion and ignorance, depression and anxiety, hopelessness and nihilism, he wants us to be a beacon.

Mettle Maker #340 and Holy Communion for 1/29/23

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 #340

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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Do the Pen Experiment!

Self-Defense: It’s a 5-week month, so next week’s focus is self-defense and prevention. Are you aware of relationship tension, and how bad actors use it to get victims where they want them? Try this simple exercise. Take a pen, go a friend or associate, and ask if they’re willing to help you with an experiment. Hold out the pen, but don’t say anything. They will take it. Then ask them, “Did you want the pen?” “No,” they’ll say. “Did you need it?” Again, they’ll say “No.” They’ll take it because it’s natural to do so. Then tell them, “Okay, let’s try something else. I’m going to offer you the pen. This time, no matter what I say, don’t take it.” This time, hold out the pen and shake it a little. Say things like, “C’mon, take it. Just take it. Seriously, really, take it!” About 50% of people with will take the pen even though you specifically told them not to do so! This is what thieves, con artists, rapists, and killers do. They use your natural instincts, and the power of relationship tension, against you. They’ll pretend to be hurt and ask for help or flash a flyer about a lost dog. Everybody wants to help! Or they’ll promise not to hurt you if you just take them to the ATM or lay face down on the ground. Everybody wants to think the best about others! The problem is, of course, they are probably lying. They’re probably not going to take you to the ATM, but instead they’re taking you to the basement of their home in the country for a few days of what their corrupted minds think is fun. Or, once you’re face down on the pavement, they’re going to shoot you in the back of the head. What are you supposed to do? Well, you need to know P.R.A.: What’s P.R.A.? Sounds like you need a comprehensive self-defense training course! Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Self-Defense Distance Learning Program.

Fitness: How to make sandbags. A giant bag full of sand is most certainly going to split and rain sand all over you training area. The smarter plan is to make a bunch of 5 and 10 lb. bags and toss them into a sturdy bag. This will hold up better and allow you to adjust weight easily. To make your bags, cut a square of tarp or other sturdy material about 30” x 30” and pour the sand into the middle. Use extra heavy (4 mil. or more) contractor grade garbage bags for best results. Then gather up the ends, and zip tie shut using pliers. Trim off the excess material and snip off the zip tie. Make sure that you carefully snip off the zip tie flush with the end of the closure so that no sharp edges remain – they will cut the bag or any adjacent bags if you leave them on. Then cruise the yard sale circuit or head to the thrift store for some small to medium canvas bags. Old backpacks are my favorite, but small athletic bags, camera bags, and old tool bags can work too. Cut off the straps and throw them anyway. Now go train! See photo set above-left. Need more training tips? Check out Martial Grit: Real Fighting Fitness on a Budget or click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program.

Outdoor skills: Do you know how to signal for help? Certain visual signals are universal, and are very useful if you are trapped onboard a ship, inside a building in a flood, hiding in a car or cave in a snow storm, etc.

1. Smoke: smoke is a classic distress signal, especially aboard ship. If you can safely build a fire do so. If fire materials are limited, have a fire match-ready in the event that you hear or see an approaching search party. On a ship, or on the roof of a building, try to find a sturdy a metal container such as a bucket or barrel. Elevate it from the deck, floor, roof, etc. well away from other flammable surfaces. Punch a few small holes in the side of the can – not the bottom! – to admit air.

2. Inverted flag: flying or otherwise displaying a flag upside down is a universally understood signal.

3. Triangles: many motorists are familiar with the classic red reflective triangle in emergency kits, and mountaineers are trained to display three objects equidistant from one another to signal for help. Place three objects – the larger, more colorful, and/or highly reflective the better – in a perfect triangle to indicate that you’re in trouble.

4. SOS: A vintage classic, SOS has been the international signal for distress by Morse Code for over a hundred years. You can spell out the letters “SOS” in paint, stones, etc., or even mimic the Morse Code SOS with a car horn, fog horn, a flashlight, lantern, etc. Signal SOS with three short signals, followed by three long signals, then three short again.

Interested in a free outdoor skills distance learning program? Check out our free programs here.

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 1/29/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13, Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10, 1 Cor 1:26-31, Mt 5:1-12a

Matthew 5:1-12a  World English Bible Catholic Edition

1  Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2  He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.✡

4  Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.✡

5  Blessed are the gentle,

for they shall inherit the earth.*✡

6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

7  Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

8  Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

9  Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children of God.

10  Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

11  “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12  Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

These are the opening lines of the most incredible speech ever delivered by a spiritual teacher in all of history – the speech that establishes the foundation of Christianity itself.  These influential words have shaped and inspired billions of people down the two millennia since they were spoken, both Christians and non-Christians, like religious pluralist liberator Mahatma Gandhi and agnostic author of Brave New World Aldous Huxley.

To deliver these words, Jesus chooses a mountain, yet he sits eye-to-eye.  Fully God and fully man, he speaks at once as God, from a high place, but as a man, on our level.  The scripture says, “he opened his mouth and taught them.”  The Bible is sparse, not rambling.  Every word matters.  So what’s important about him opening his mouth?  Doesn’t everyone open their mouth to speak?  Are we expecting Jesus to be a ventriloquist?  No, he opened his mouth to speak.  He didn’t just repeat the words of other prophets.  He spoke as one who has authority, not like a scribe reading the words of the ancient prophets (Mt 7:29).

And what does he say?  Using a similar verbal format, but changing the message, Jesus turns the message of the previous prophets inside out.  He subverts the old rhetoric.  We know what the old messages sound like, especially from Proverbs and Psalms. 

·       “Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all our produce, then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be overflowing with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

·       “Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners” (Psalm 1:1). 

·       “Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:1-2).

Jesus offers a new perspective.  Yes, sometimes things go well when we think and act in accord with God’s commandments.  Yes, sometimes God answers our prayers.  But when things don’t go the way we want, despite our prayers and despite playing by the rules to the best of our ability, Jesus wants us to take heart and know that we are still blessed.

God is not a far-off God, an uncaring and legalistic God, or a merely a God of covenants.  He is a God who sympathizes with our feelings of sadness and mourning, with our feelings of injustice and unfairness.  This is why he comes down to earth as Immanuel, which means “God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14, Mt 1:29). 

On a high mountain he sits down with us, looks us in the eye, and opens his mouth.

———————————————————————————————

✡5:3 Isaiah 57:15; 66:2

✡5:4 Isaiah 61:2; 66:10,13

*5:5 or, land.

✡5:5 Psalm 37:11

Mettle Maker #339 and Holy Communion for 1/22/23

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 #339

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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Self-Defense: This is the fourth week of the month, which means our focus is weapons — so try this on for size. Set a timer for 2:00 rounds, no breaks, and get after the following weapon command and mastery session. Round 1, standing strikes vs. heavy bag with max power. Round 2, sit-up and strike the bag from the ground. Round 3, Push-ups with weapon in hand, Round 4, Get-ups with weapon hand switch between each, and Round 5, grounded strikes from your back, all-in (that is, kicks and punches included). Repeat until you’ve had enough. If at any time during the session you drop your weapon or touch yourself with the business end, there is a 50 Push-up penalty. Walking stick not your weapon of choice? Sub in your pet mock weapon — wooden tomahawk, escrima stick, wooden knife, etc. Want more practical martial arts instruction? Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Self-Defense Distance Learning Program.

140 calories of food. Two slices of wheat bread = 140 calories. 2 eggs = 140 calories, 2 nectarines = 140 calories. 1.4 tbsp of butter = 140 calories, and 2 ounces of lean roast beef = 140 calories.

Fitness: Let’s talk about diet and weight loss. Talking about diet can be like talking about politics: no matter what you say you’re guaranteed to make half of your audience angry! Well, I’m going to tell it to you straight despite the risks. Diet affects your long term health in numerous ways. Eating too much salt can spike your blood pressure, too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance, not taking in enough fiber isn’t good for colon heath, not getting enough Vitamin C can give you scurvy, and so forth. But in terms of how much weight you lose or gain based on your metabolic demands, 2,000 calories a day of pure fast food is no different than 2,000 calories of grade-A, organic, gourmet food. When trying to lose weight, calorie count is far more important than your exercise routine. Many people think they’re going to lose weight if they eat “healthier” (whatever that is) but the reality is, a 1,000 calorie salad has the same impact on weight as a 1,000 calorie bacon cheeseburger. By all means try to make informed, intelligent decisions regarding diet and long-term health. But, if you’re trying to lose weight, ya gotta watch the calories first and foremost. Want to learn more about diet and weight loss? Looking for help with a weight loss or fitness program? Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program.

Outdoor skills: Pay attention to your environment. You never know what you’re going to encounter. Many times I’ve been camping with people who said things like, “Why are you hanging your food? There are no bears in these woods.” Two which I reply something like, “Then I wonder where that giant pile of scat filled with fur and berries came from?” You might assume, if for example you live east of the Mississippi, that you’re not going to encounter a mountain lion while hiking. But, as reported in the NYT, “numerous cougar sightings were reported east of the Mississippi River last fall, encounters that have become more frequent in recent years. A trail camera glimpsed one in northern Minnesota, for instance, while authorities captured another in Springfield, Ill., after it had made its way there from Nebraska. Yet another was fatally struck by a car on I-88 west of Chicago.” Pay attention! Interested in a free outdoor skills distance learning program? Check out our free programs here.

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, 1/22/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Is 8:23—9:3, Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14, 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17, Mt 4:12-23

Matthew 4:12-23  World English Bible Catholic Edition

12  Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. 13  Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

16  the people who sat in darkness saw a great light;

to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,

to them light has dawned.”✡

17  From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

18  Walking by the sea of Galilee, he† saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19  He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”

20  They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them. 22  They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.

23  Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24  The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. 25  Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

You know, I have four kids, all grown up now and living on their own.  But when things go wrong, when they are deeply saddened, they come home.  Sometimes for a day, sometimes for a week.  They need that security.  They need to regroup. And that’s what Jesus did.  When St. John the Baptist is arrested and thrown into the Black Fortress of Machaerus, Jesus goes home to Nazareth. 

But you know, after they regroup – after they eat some home cooking and get some fatherly and motherly advice from my wife and I – my kids realize they have to go back to their lives, back to their jobs and their lives, back out into the crazy world and continue the adventures that are their lives.  And so, Jesus leaves home and goes to Capernaum, a bustling city of the gentiles sitting right on a trade route, modern and eclectic, on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. And there he starts his mission in earnest, finding his first disciples.

Did this literally happen?  I believe it did.  But I also believe that this is a metaphorical story.  As St. Paul says in today’s epistle reading, we must be careful about getting so wrapped up “human eloquence” – that is, human literal interpretations and the people who offer them to us – that we lose sight of the Cross and empty the Gospel of its deeper meaning.

So, I think this section of Matthew is a philosophical lesson as well.  It’s about how we think, and solve, and fix problems.  When we get shocking, unexpected news – like Jesus findout his beloved cousin has been thrown in prison – it shatters our worldview.  We don’t know what to think or do anymore.  So we retreat to the familiar – we go home to familiar places, familiar ideas, and familiar solutions.  But in the end, in order to solve a new problem, we need new information and a fresh perspective.  We can’t stay home.  Literally, like going to Capernaum of the gentiles, or to a new intellectual place, like a reading a new book, talking to new people, considering new perspectives. We have to swim in a different sea of ideas.

The Gospels repeatedly refer to the lake adjacent to Capernaum as the “Sea of Galilee.”  But it’s not a sea.  It’s a big lake.  It’s fresh water.  The gospel writers weren’t stupid, they knew what it was.  They called a “sea” on purpose.  Because “sea” is a bigger word, a richer word.  We cannot see into the depths of the sea.  There can be good and bad in the depths – there can be a great catch, or a sea monster.  The weather changes rapidly on the sea.  We might have a pleasant day of sailing, or we might be shipwrecked. We could have a pleasant swim, or we could drown.

And so, along the edge of the sea – walking on the edge of the safe and familiar and dangerous and mysterious – Jesus finds and calls his first apostles.  Jesus himself is on the cutting edge, breathing new and fresh ways of seeing and thinking into the old ways of the Hebrews.  And from there he goes on to heal the sick and cast out demons.

Like Jesus, we can’t stay home when things go wrong.  We must have the courage to go to new places and cast our nets into the seas of discovery and innovation for fresh perspectives.  And, if we carefully integrate what we draw up with our familiar, time-tested wisdom, we too have the hope of solving great problems and making new and very important friends.

✡ 4:16 Isaiah 9:1-2

† 4:18 TR reads “Jesus” instead of “he” 

Mettle Maker #338 and Holy Communion for 1/15/23

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 #338

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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Self-Defense: Get out your floor bag and do a wrestling conditioner. Set a timer for 10- 20 minutes and run through repeated cycles of the following: Knee inserts and Toe Extracts, Clocks, Back Bridges, Bottom Scissors (to failure), and Rolling Pins (for for body toughening). If none of this makes sense, sounds like you need a martial arts training program. Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Self-Defense Distance Learning Program.

Me after a three0mile tire run a few years back.

Fitness: Try an old-school fitness run. Fun fact about the old-timers: they most ran short distances, and they mostly did them sprint/walk style. This is because running has limited value outside the sport of running itself, which is why I never run for more than a mile or so these days. For general fitness, I recommend running shorter distances and, if you need more intensity, I suggest focusing on sprints or addiong a fun “old school” wrinkle. One of my favorites is a “Rocky run” — that is, punch the air the entire time you’re running. I also like Apache runs, Prisoner runs, Tire runs, and so on. Want to learn more? Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program.

Outdoor skills: In the words of the great Yogi Berra, “You can observe a lot by watching.” Click here to read about Ben Bacon, the furniture conservator who saw something in cave paintings that no anthropologist, archaeologist, or art historian was previously able to see. “A London furniture conservator has been credited with a crucial discovery that has helped understand why Ice Age hunter-gatherers drew cave paintings. Ben Bacon analysed 20,000-year-old markings on the drawings, concluding they could refer to a lunar calendar. It led to a specialist team proving early Europeans made notes about the timing of animals' reproductive cycles.”

Interested in a free outdoor skills distance learning program? Check out our free programs here.

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, 1/15/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Is 49:3, 5-6, Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10, 1 Cor 1:1-3, Jn 1:29-34

Today’s epistle reading from 1 Corinthians is a little hard to understand, depending on the translation.  Paul says,

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ* through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2  to the assembly of God which is at Corinth—those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours: 3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

And once you figure it out, it seems so mundane.  You think, “Oh, I get it.  But it’s just the salutation of a letter – what are we supposed to learn from this?”  Well, rest assured, like most everything Saint Paul says, his simple greeting to fellow Christians in Corinth is jam-packed with meaning.  Let lay it out for you. 

Paul makes it clear that the message he is sending isn’t coming him alone, but also from his brother in Christ, Sosthenes.  And, furthermore, he emphasizes that he and Sosthenes are joined together in holiness with those he’s addressing who are in Corinth, as well as with everyone who calls on the name of Christ.  The very next thing Paul says to them is,

“Now I beg you, brothers and sisters, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Let this be a warning to us also my friends.  We must always and everywhere be witnesses of Christ in our thoughts, desires, actions, and beliefs – in our words and in our hearts – or else our message will not get through clearly.  And you may ask, “What’s the message?”

We are the message. 

Our words?  Yes.  But also our demeanor, our choices, our attitude, our body language -- all of it.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a cold shoulder worth?  How many volumes does a betrayal speak?  One callous comment is a trumpet blast, each insensitivity is a volcanic eruption.

In my evangelism work, I can’t tell you how often I hear comments like,

·       “I left my church because the people there were jerks.”

·       “Christians are all judgmental prudes and nitwits.”

·       “Christians think they’re perfect and everybody else is going to hell.”

·       “You priests and pastors are just leeches on society.”

These statements are far from true.  But it’s a fact that every misbegotten word, inappropriate comment, and cutting glance falls like a domino, and leads we know not where. We are wise if we remember the words of James 1:26,

“If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”

---

† 1:14 The phrase “only born” is from the Greek word “μονογενους”, which is sometimes translated “only begotten” or “one and only.”

*1:1 “Christ” means “Anointed One.”

---

 * 2:1 The word for “wise men” (magoi) can also mean teachers, scientists, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, or sorcerers.

 ✡ 2:6 Micah 5:2

Starry Wisdom: Mettle Maker #337 and Holy Communion for the Epiphany of the Lord

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 #337

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!

Click here to sign up for DAILY MOTIVATIONAL text messages!

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Fitness and Self-Defense: Navigating your way toward your fitness goals. The other day I decided to do some Thrusters. I hadn’t done them since August, and I wanted just to check-in and see how much I had or hadn’t lost. Turns out I had lost lots. I had to step down about 25%. But I didn’t care that much because, as it happens, Thrusters aren’t really indicative of pure strength. Some exercises just need to be performed with a high degree of regularity in order to stay proficient. Like Thrusters, that can be owing to skill perishability or flexibility requirements rather than pure strength. I know this because my Military Press and Squat are relatively unchanged.

The problem with hyperfocus on the same exercises is that it makes us prone to repetitive use injuries, tendonitis, and increased cortisol production (especially if we go too hard, rely on PEDs, don’t take adequate time off, and so forth) all of which are bad. What we have to do is find the right balance. between regularity and variation. The keys to this, as we see them in the Heritage Arts family, are MBF© (“Martial Base Fitness”), twice weekly Constitutionals, and old school training modalities (increased frequency, reduced impact, and solidified gains). This is they way everyone trained before drugs and surgery became SOP.

Want help designing a sensible and healthy training program to suit your specific goals? Click here to sign up for the 100% free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program.

Outdoor skills: Finding direction at night. Obviously you could learn to tell directions by stars or by constellations like Orion. But what if, depending on the weather or where you are, light pollution or clouds makes the stars hard to see? Use the moon instead. The full moon always rises very near sunset, and it rises about a hour later each day until, at the new moon, it rises at sunrise (which means you can’t see it). The moon rises in the east just like the sun. Watch it come up and find east. Or, if you get lost at night and you didn’t see it rise. have a seat and mark the moon against a prominent tree or landmark. Wait an hour and check it again. Connect the dots and find east. See the photos below for three methods of finding direction at night. Interested in a free outdoor skills distance learning program? Check out our free programs here.

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Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord, 1/8/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Is 60:1-6, Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13., Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6, Mt 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12  World English Bible

1  Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men* from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” 3  When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4  Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5  They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,

6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah,

are in no way least among the princes of Judah;

for out of you shall come a governor

who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’ ”✡

7  Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. 8  He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”

9  They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. 10  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 

11  They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

In the ancient world, there was no grand plan.  For the Greeks, the Romans, the shamans of Asia, the Slavic pagans, the druids, the Celts and the Vikings – all of the world’s ancient cultures – there was no time as we know it today.  They looked up into the heavens, and they saw repeating patterns of stars.  They saw recurring seasons.  Every year was just like the last.  They assumed that every year in the past had been like the present one, and every year in the future would be the same. 

Each individual historian kept time independently.  This one marked the time since the reign of a certain monarch, another by the number of seasons since this or that war, or the number of years since the foundation of a given empire.  It wasn’t until Christianity burst onto the scene this all changed.  The years began to be marked as before Christ or after Christ – BC and AD. 

But even after Judeo-Christian culture began to mark universal time, scientists – and this is not a coincidence! – scientists picked up the pagan banner of steady-state time.  Scientists and pagan unbelievers were united in their disbelief.  Cosmologists – these are the astronomers who study the origin of the universe and the formation of its galaxies, solar systems, suns, planets, and moons – were just like the pagans of the ancient world.  They thought that the universe had always been, and it would always be, the same.  That is, until a physicist and cosmologist by the name of Fr. Georges Lemaître – a Roman Catholic priest – rocked the scientific establishment.  Lemaître’s “Big Bang Theory” is now taught in every school in the world.  The universe came to be at a particular point in time.  And at a particular point in time, it will cease to be.

Judeo-Christians knew this all along of course.  We know that God is the source and establisher of creation.  We read in Gen 1:14, Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years.” 

We know that God created the universe and put into place the stars and planets and established the very laws of physics that scientists use to prove and disprove their theories. 

We know that the greatest scientists and astronomers of Jesus’ day – pagans from Babylon known as the magi – used their scientific methods to determine that something incredible had happened: the King of the Jews and the Savior of the world had been born.

We knew then, and we know now, what everyone in the world must surely know just by looking at the date: that time begins and ends with God, and human time is measured by the birth of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray, brothers and sisters, that the world’s pagans, skeptics, and idolators of materialism, come to embrace the greater truth of Christ embedded in the science which they hold true.  Let us pray they each have their individual epiphanies: that they journey westward bearing their gifts, and kneel before the King of the Universe who is Christ the Lord.    

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 * 2:1 The word for “wise men” (magoi) can also mean teachers, scientists, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, or sorcerers.

 ✡ 2:6 Micah 5:2

Multispective: Mettle Maker #336 and Holy Communion

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 #336

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Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM. Due to YouTube LIVE processing times, the weekly Holy Communion video is often partial until late afternoon or evening. If you attempt to view the video, and running time is less than 40 to 45 minutes, please check back later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT THE HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAM

Homily for the Circumcision and Naming of Christ, Jan. 1st, 2023 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Num 6:22-end, Ps 8, Gal 4:4-7, Lk 2:15-21

Luke 2:15-21  World English Bible

When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16  They came with haste and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough. 17  When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 18  All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. 19  But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. 20  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.

21  When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

God, the ground of all being, the source and establisher of creation, has no gender.  Isn’t it strange then, that he refers to himself as Father (Ex 4:22-23 for example) and we call him Father?  And that he decides to enter into his creation as a male?  Why does God approach us as a male rather than female?  And why has the circumcision of infant Jesus been deemed important enough to warrant a feast day?

We cannot know the mind of God, but we can suspect that God came as a man for a very pragmatic and practical reason: positive, healthy father figures are central to strong communities and societies.  Boys are particularly vulnerable.  Ninety percent of all crime is committed by males, and almost ninety percent of them are fatherless.  How many men and boys have chosen to be better fathers and better sons by emulating the divine scheme?  But this issue cuts across sexes.  More than 4 out of 5 youths in prison come from fatherless homes, and fatherless children are six times more likely to life in poverty and to commit criminal acts.  It’s impossible to know how many fatherless girls and boys have taken comfort in knowing they had a father in heaven, or how much pain and suffering have been alleviated by God’s simple choice to present himself as a Father to the world.

Like all Hebrew boys, the Son of God came to be circumcised and named.  And for a human male to have the foreskin of his penis cut off is a huge and humbling step, literally and symbolically.  In this ritual, ego and masculinity are literally trimmed down to size.  But this too cuts across the sexes.  Deuteronomy 30:6 reads, “The LORD, your God, will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you will love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart and your whole being, in order that you may live.” And we read in Jeremiah 4:3-4, “For to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, thus says the LORD: Till your untilled ground, and do not sow among thorns. Be circumcised for the LORD, remove the foreskins of your hearts, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Or else my anger will break out like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of your evil deeds.”

This is why St. Paul says in Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.”  The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, sets an eternal example of the circumcision of the heart, humbling himself to enter into our humanity.

In Genesis, God begins creation on the first day of existence itself by declaring “let there be light.” He completes his creation in six days, and on the seventh he rests.  God’s only Son, the Light of the World, is born on Christmas, the dawning of the first day of a new creation.  On the eighth day, his Son accepts his circumcision.  This is the historical event dated 1/1/1 – the first day, of the first month, in the first year – the event that resets the clock of all humanity and begins our every new year in Christ.

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