Switch on, Transform, Recharge: Mettle Maker #375 and Holy Communion for 10/1/23

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Mettle Maker #375

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness — Fitness is transformation. It’s an adaptation to a particular set of environmental conditions. When constructing a training program, make sure that it is as similar to the performance requirements of the target environment as possible. Fitness is essentially a deliberate transformation, undertaken by carefully replacing the cells of the body that don’t fit the desired paradigm with ones that do. When designing your program, ask yourself how each component mirrors the target environment and, in turn, the transformational goal. Don’t know how to do that? Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Martial Arts - Can you hit the switch? How you train is how you fight. If you don’t practice hitting the switch, it’s distinctly possible that won’t be able to do so when your life, or a loved one’s life, is in danger. What’s “hitting the switch?” It’s letting go — fighting as hard as you can — unleashing full aggression. If you’ve done everything you can to prevent, avoid, de-escalate and escape and, despite your best efforts, you must fight, you better know where your switch is and how to hit it. Practice it! If you' don’t know how to do that, join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Take a little one-night trip. Last week I went on a one-night, mid-week camping trip to do do some thinking in the wake of some troubling events (watch the video on the left for details if you’re interested). Do this sometime. So many people make a huge production about a camping trip. Don’t be like that — just take a day off and hit the road. Maybe you’ll forget something, or get rained on, or have to deal with something unexpected or unpleasant. There’s a word for that. It’s called an adventure! Get outta the city and recharge your batteries. You’ll be glad you did. If you don’t feel competent to do that, and you’re looking for a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twenty-sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 10/1/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Ez 18:25-28, Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, Phil 2:1-11, Mt 21:28-32

Matthew 21:28-32  World English Bible Catholic Edition

Jesus said to the chief priests and to the elders of the people, “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ 29  He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind, and went. 30  He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I’m going, sir,’ but he didn’t go. 31  Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into God’s Kingdom before you. 32  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you didn’t even repent afterward, that you might believe him.”

Brothers and sisters, becoming a Christian is not an intellectual decision.  Nor is it an emotional feeling, a social or political preference, or an ethical inclination toward a sensible set of moral rules and laws.  Although one or more of those may manifest as a consequence of conversion, they are just phenomena.  They are like rain, thunder, and lightning.  They are associated with storms, but they are not the storm itself.  A storm is a radical change in the upper atmosphere, a fundamental alteration in which huge masses of air are thrust ten or more miles up into the stratosphere.  That is what Christianity is: a stratospheric transformation of mind, body, and spirit.

Perhaps the right conditions are beginning to manifest in a person’s life and true conversion is close.  The Holy Ghost is stirring and the storm is coming.  But he or she may see a good person or a young child die, or witnesses a wicked person living a long and materially prosperous life and, as Ezekiel points out, ideas like “It’s not fair!” may begin to creep in.  But if total transformation in Christ takes place, this person will focus not on material fairness in this world, but on the timeless and precious beauty and joy of participation in Christ consciousness now – and on the ultimate fairness of eternal life in the world to come.

St. Paul describes the transformation that Jesus wants for us as participation in the Spirit; as being of the same mind and in the same love as Jesus, fully united in one heart. Jesus says in today’s reading that we must change our minds.  He’s not looking for us to say the right words or reach the intellectual, moral, social, logical, or emotional conclusions that line up with his teachings.  All of that is praiseworthy.  We should be able to understand and explain the sensibility and practicality of Christian teachings.  But as worthy as all of that may be, it’s all just phenomena.  It is rain and wind – but not the storm that Jesus is looking for.

When Moses was about to bring down the law, the scripture says that “when it was morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.” (Exodus 19:16).  Although worthy of the awe it inspired, the mighty storm that accompanied the giving of the law is nothing compared to the power and majesty that lifts us up into the heavens and, through unification with Christ, transforms us in body, mind, and spirit.

No More Sour Grapes! Mettle Maker #374 and Holy Communion for 9/24/23

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special event for mettlecraft month in november

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Mettle Maker #374

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness — More on light dumbbells: We’ve touched on light dumbbells before. They really are effective for keeping shoulders healthy and strong. Watch the video on the left, give them a try, and let us know what you think in the comments. You might be glad you did. Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Martial Arts - Practice your Square Choke like you mean it. The video on the right only has 47 views, probably because it’s not exotic or sparkly, but workmanlike. If you’re going have a tight choke that you can apply with full force and aggression, you have to practice it. Don’t imagine that if you have to defend yourself you’ll somehow magically develop super strength and endurance. You actually have to train your techniques. Watch the video on the right and do the work. Want to learn more practical self-defense material? Join the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Vitis Palmata — the catbird grape

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Say hello to Vitis palmata, the catbird grape. If you’re looking for a trailside nibble this time of year, catbird grape is a fairly common find in the southeastern and south-central U.S. The fruit is often insipid (the technical term for low in flavor and sweetness) but definitely edible. Look closely and you’ll notice that the tendrils are forked. For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 9/24/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Is 55:6-9, Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18, Phil 1:20c-24, 27a, Mt 20:1-16a

Matthew 20:1-16a  World English Bible Catholic Edition

Jesus said,  “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2  When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius† a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3  He went out about the third hour,‡ and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. 4  He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way. 5  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour,§ and did likewise. 6  About the eleventh hour† he went out and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’

7  “They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’

“He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’

8  “When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’ 9  “When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. 10  When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. 11  When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, 12  saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’

13  “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius? 14  Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. 15  Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’ 16  So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Friends, there is very little more toxic than a work-and-reward mentality with regard to the spiritual life.  Christ, in today’s parable, shows us what happens when we fail to get beyond this cumbersome outlook.

We’ve all had the experience of working alongside someone who has this very simplistic, legalistic mindset.  This is the coworker who, when someone gets a promotion at work, says “I’ve been working here longer.  Why didn’t I get the position?”  This is the teenager who says to his mother, “You let my sister stay out until 11 pm.  Why do I have to be home by 9 pm?”  Every experienced parent, supervisor, pastor, or leader of any kind recognizes this “it’s not fair” outlook as a very sinister poison.

To nip this in the bud, leaders must immediately step in and teach those for whom they are responsible that the thought “it’s not fair” should be a call to introspection and faith rather than a call to bitterness.  That’s what Jesus is doing in today’s gospel reading.  When we start to think “it’s not fair” we should consider that perhaps the quality of our work isn’t as good as we think it is.  Maybe we need to do better.  Or perhaps we just need to be more patient.  There could be something amazing coming our way very soon – something that’s even better than the thing we’re being envious about.  But, most importantly, we must be mindful that “it’s not fair,” if left unchecked, becomes the mark of Cain.  When God accepted Abel’s sacrifice over his, Cain allowed his “it’s not fair” attitude to become a motive for murdering his brother.  This way of thinking literally points down to hell.

To begin heading upward, we must first see that although we sometimes use the term “the work of the spirit,” we should be taking up not a tedious list of chores but a labor of love.  This is the pivot point around which the Christian life turns.  Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39).   And Saint Paul said, “If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Cor 13:3). 

If we fill up the work of the spirit with love, it becomes a labor of love at which we can work tirelessly.  Jealousy and resentment fall away.  There is only joy for our brothers and sisters who are successful in both the material life and the spiritual life.  We are happy for them at school, at work, in sports, and so on – and when they believe in the Gospel, we are filled with joy at the thought that they might join us in the world to come.

The Christian life is not a call to mere obedience to laws.  It is a call to transformation.  We are not destined to be laborers in a vineyard, but rather offshoots of the true vine (John 15:1-17).  Say goodbye to the “sour grapes” way of life!

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 † 20:2 A denarius is a silver Roman coin worth 1/25th of a Roman aureus. This was a common wage for a day of farm labor.

‡ 20:3 Time was measured from sunrise to sunset, so the third hour would be about 9:00 a.m.

§ 20:5 noon and 3:00 p.m.

† 20:6 5:00 p.m.

Mettle Maker #373 and Holy Communion for 9/17/23

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special events for mettlecraft month in november

Walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here!

Mettle Maker #373

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness — Which is best: Pull-up, Chin-up, or Commando Pull-up? They’re shown in order left to right in in the picture on the left. It’s from The Elements of Gymnastics for Boys, and of Calisthenics for Young Ladies by Gustavus Hamilton (1838). None is any better than the others — they’re just different, and they compliment each other. Pull-ups accentuate the shoulders and back, Chin-ups accentuate the biceps, and Commando Pull-ups accentuate core stability. Working all three ensures all-around pulling power and helps prevent overuse injury you might get from doing only one of the three types exclusively. Instead of doing three sets of a single type, try doing one set of each. You might be glad you did. Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Martial Arts - How you train is how you fight. Don’t imagine that if you have to defend yourself you’ll somehow magically use all of the violent defensive attacks — head butt, shoulder check, foot stomp, etc. — that you never practice in sparring because the injury risk is too high. You actually have to train these techniques vs. your heavy bag! Watch the video on the right. There’s also a new video short regarding shoulder check. Get there. Want to learn more practical self-defense material? Join the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Here’s a way to spend more time outside — build yourself a log cabin like Fr. Mitch is doing in his back yard!

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — What’s the big deal about spending time outside? Being outside isn’t just relaxing. It reduces stress, cortisol levels, muscle tension and heart rates – all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease – and can increase focus and attention (Avitt 2021). 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. It also reduces inflammation, which has been linked to numerous health problems, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and depression (Singh 2019).

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. 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).

For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twenty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 9/17/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Sir 27:30—28:7, Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12, Rom 14:7-9, Mt 18:21-35

Matthew 18:21-35  World English Bible Catholic Edition

21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”

22 Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven. 23  Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24  When he had begun to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.§ 25  But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26  The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’ 27  The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.

28  “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii,† and he grabbed him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

29  “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’ 30  He would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay back that which was due. 31  So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done. 32  Then his lord called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33  Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ 34  His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him. 35  So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”

When children squabble and fight, every caregiver with a grain of common sense brings the children together to apologize and grant forgiveness.  Every supervisor at every company has at some point brought together quarrelling employees and done the very same thing.  Why is the importance of forgiveness so obvious, and yet, so often avoided?

We could try to argue that we grasp the wisdom of forgiveness because we’ve seen brutal, ever-escalating, revenge wars play themselves out between criminal gangs and crime syndicates.  Or because we’ve seen families wrecked by never-ending feuds and arguments, and teen lives wrecked by situations where a slight leads to a slap, a slap leads to a stab, and a stab leads to a drive-by shooting.  But that would be a faulty argument.  The sensibility of forgiveness is logical, but it isn’t conscious.  When we decide whether or not to forgive, we don’t think through the entire history of sociology, and go read Martin Buber’s great book on morality I and Thou before we take action.  Forgiveness is far more fundamental than the intellect.  It comes from a different place, a more instinctual place.

It’s so fundamental that primates, like chimps, bonobos, and gorillas, practice forgiveness.  So do goats, hyenas, dogs, wolves, coyotes, crows, and even rats.  Forgiveness and morality are so prevalent at every level of the animal kingdom that scientists credit evolution.  Acclaimed primatologist Franz De Wall, in his famous book The Bonobo and the Atheist, makes this claim.  But De Waal, and others like him, aren’t looking low enough, or deep enough, to see God’s hand in the reality upon which the forces of evolution are at play.

Forgiveness is wired into our very cells.  Expert Everett L. Worthington, Jr. of Virginia Commonwealth University has devoted his entire life to the scientific study of forgiveness.  Worthington’s research shows that lack of forgiveness for long periods of time leads to elevated blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormone production, and so on.  And if those elevations go unchecked, Worthington says, they lead to mental health problems, reliance on alcohol and drugs, elevated cardiovascular risk, digestive, immune, and respiratory problems, sexual and reproductive issues, even physical damage to the structures of the brain.¹

The need to forgive is in our biology, but it didn’t evolve.  Saying that forgiveness evolved is like saying that gravity evolved, or magnetism evolved.  The laws of physics, and the laws of morality, have been built into the structure of the universe like the bricks in the foundation of a home.  Forgiveness is found in the cellular structure of living things because it’s woven into the very fabric of reality by our Heavenly Father.

But because this world is fallen, God’s desire that we forgive – which cries out to us from the very heart of his creation! -- is imperfectly heeded by his creatures.  Despite the fact that God has embedded the healing power of forgiveness into his universe we too often flee from it.  Forgiveness brings peace to survivors of attack, peace to nations, neighborhoods, and broken families.  Forgiveness heals hearts, repairs friendships, prevents the escalation of violence, and restores harmony between nations, saves lives. 

Let us obey the natural law of forgiveness built into God’s creation, and obey the words of our Savior.  Let us forgive those who trespass against us not seven times but seventy-seven times.

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 ¹  https://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Forgiveness_final.pdf

Fresh Persepctives: Mettle Maker #372 and Holy Communion for 9/10/23

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Two special events this fall!

Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout. Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details or get TICKETS here. Or sign up to walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here.

Mettle Maker #372

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness — How about a little change of perspective. Take a look at the first page of Issue No. 1, Volume XX (1908) of “Physical Culture,” the most popular health and fitness magazine of the old-school era, which ran continuously from 1899 to 1955 (left). How does this viewpoint (which has a lot in common with the Heritage Fitness way of thinking) differ from what you see online, on YouTube, Instagram, and social media? Yeah. Lots! Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

A shortcut to the cemetery.

Martial Arts - Plains knife is where it’s at. The first martial art I studied was Hwa Rang do by way of Michael D. Echanis’ book Knife Fighting, Knife Throwing for Combat. I bought the book in high school and worked through the mental and throwing exercises. The book is 2% mental drills, 10% solo throwing drills, and 88% one-step drills (one student plays the attacker by making a semi-sincere attack, and the other student executes a particular programmed response).

There are dozens of one-steps in this book that, by consistent practice and memorization, are supposed to be made habitual across time. Eventually I took up Taekwondo and forgot about the book until years later when I started training in knife stuff. I remembered the book fondly, probably because it had been my first real foray into the world of martial arts. So I bought The Complete Michael D. Echanis Collection: Special Tactics for Knife and Stick Combat , which includes the original book and two others, and a friend of mine and I began working through the drills.

Nothing in it worked against sincere attacks. And so much of it involves circuitous, labyrinthine responses to direct attacks, that it reads like a shortcut down Cemetery Road. Looking anew at the mental drills, I found them very dark, scary, and strange, and not in harmony with with the eight universal spiritual disciplines.

If you want to learn how to use a knife for self-defesnse in a practical, workmanlike manner — without idolizing the weapon! — you need to study Heritage Self-Defense, which incorporates Mark Hatmaker’s Plains Knife material. Join the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Here’s a way to spend more time outside — build yourself a log cabin like Fr. Mitch is doing in his back yard!

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — What’s the big deal about spending time outside? Being outside isn’t just relaxing. It reduces stress, cortisol levels, muscle tension and heart rates – all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease – and can increase focus and attention (Avitt 2021). 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. It also reduces inflammation, which has been linked to numerous health problems, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and depression (Singh 2019).

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. 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).

For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 9/10/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Ez 33:7-9, Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9, Rom 13:8-10, Mt 18:15-20

Matthew 18:15-20 World English Bible Catholic Edition

Jesus said,

“If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. 16  But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.* 17  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. 18  Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 19  Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”

The modern way of seeing is the materialist-rationalist view.  Only those things which can be measured, quantified, and studied are real.  All of modernity has been and continues to be a long, complex, and lurid celebration of the sin of idolatry.  Material realities are elevated to highest standing, and the things that are sacred – God, love, beauty, truth, justice -- are deemed fluid, immaterial, unimportant, or dangerous.  This is why, during the height of the COVID pandemic panic, science was worshipped as ultimate truth while our churches were deemed “non-essential services” and ordered closed, despite having been hospitals serving the physically, spiritually, and mentally ill.

The faulty and idolatrous modern way of seeing was perhaps first succinctly described by Plato in his allegory of the cave in the 4th century BC.  Plato describes people who, for their entire lives, have been chained in a cave facing a wall.  All they can see are the shadows that are cast against the wall as other individuals go about their daily activities.  As far as the people chained in the cave are aware, the shadows are real.  Not knowing any better, their “reality” is a world of shadow puppets.  Only when they are unchained can they see the actual forms, the real truths that cast the shadows.

The early fathers of Christian church saw Plato’s cave as a wise pagan precursor to their view that ideas are more “real” than objects.  Christians know, for example, that all kings and leaders are destined to imperfection because they are shadows of the Heavenly King.  Saul, David, Solomon, and Pharoah are all different people, but they are all the same in the sense that they are pale shadows of our King in Heaven.  Heaven contains the realm of ideas, and it casts long shadows into our daily lives.

To the ancient mind – and this is very, very hard for modern people to step into – physical examples are less real than the ideas they exemplify.  We need to get into this mindset in order to fully understand today’s Gospel reading: the idea is more real than the material.  This is because the material world itself is based on an idea – an idea in the mind of God! – which he spoke into existence.

The only true bridge between the realm of ideas – Heaven – and the realm of the material is Jesus Christ.  He is the Word made Flesh – the ideal become real.  He is the perfect King alive.  And this is why, in today’s reading, Jesus says that they only way to properly adjudicate a dispute is to gather together in his name, which is to say, in a manner that places Jesus Christ in the center of our assembly.  Only if we do that can we have any hope of permitting on earth what is permitted in heaven, and forbidding on earth what is forbidden in heaven. 

Every conflict has its details and particularities.  In a sense that they are all different.  But it’s truer still to see, as the ancients did, that all disagreements are the same insofar as they  cannot be properly solved unless we invite Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, to be our mediator.

*18:16 Deuteronomy 19:15

Feet, Fighting, Feodor, and Faith: Mettle Maker #371 and Holy Communion for 9/3/23

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Two special events this fall!

Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout. Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details or get TICKETS here. Or sign up to walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here.

Mettle Maker #371

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness — Foot health is key. No feet, no fitness. If you’ve started walking to prep for the Marathon Mettlecraft Challenge and your feet are sore, here are some tips for easing the soreness and staying on track.

• Ease into it. You might have jumped into this too aggressively. See the plan here — you need a staggered progression.

• Take a break. Give your feet a rest for a week or so and try the tips below, then ease back in. If your foot pain is severe, see your doctor!

• Relive foot pain by rolling your feet on a frozen water bottle. Do this three times a day for up to 20 minutes (with your socks on to prevent frost burn)

• Stretch your Achilles tendon. A tight Achilles transfers tension to the foot. Put your hands on a wall or sturdy object and step into a front lunge while keeping your rear heel on the floor. Hold for 20 seconds, stretching only until you feel that the tendon exists — if it hurts, you’re overstretching.

• Stretch your Plantar fascia. Get on your hands and knees with your toes engaged. Slowly sit back onto your heels to stretch the soles of your feet. Hold three times for 30 seconds. Do this three times per day. Stretch only until you feel that the tendon exists — if it hurts, you’re overstretching.

• Roll your calves with a broomstick or therapy roller. Numerous tendons run from the lower leg, through and around the ankle, and into the foot. Rub them down, limber them up, and you may get some relief.

• Get a foot massage. You’ll be surprised how much relief you’ll get if you can talk your significant other to give you one. If you have to, roll your foot on a tennis ball. I’m lucky. My wife has chronic foot pain so she bought a fancy electric massage machine that I can use whenever I like without having to barter for it!

Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Martial Arts - American Rough ‘n’ Tumble is where it’s at. Heritage Self-Defense is American Rough 'n' Tumble -- a self-defense oriented martial art that originated in the Southern Virginia backcountry during the Colonial Era. It incorporates boxing, wrestling, kicking, indigenous fighting methods, and weapons (walking stick, knife, tomahawk, etc.), as well as old-school physical culture and spiritual development in the Western tradition. Watch the video on the left for a little inspiration! Want to learn Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts? Join as the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

~Feodor Protar

(Letter to his niece, 1923)

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Be inspired by the life and times of Feodor Protar, “The Saint of Beaver Island.” Feodor Protar was an actor, theater producer, and newspaper editor. But, despite his success, he longed for a simpler and more spiritual life. So in 1893 he sold his newspaper and bought a cabin on Beaver Island, where he moved permanently. He soon realized there was no doctor on the remote island. So he began to study first aid and medicine and slowly began to fill the gap. He prepared home remedies and ordered medications in bulk (prescriptions weren’t required until 1915) which he distributed, along with his care and advice, free of charge. Michigan state medical regulators were aware of his activities but, understanding that there was insufficient population and infrastructure to support a full-time doctor, ignored his lack of certification. Protar lived a simple life, living off the land and helping his neighbors, for over 30 years until his death in 1925. If Protar can do what he did, imagine what you can do! For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 9/3/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Jer 20:7-9, Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9, Rom 12:1-2, Mt 16:21-27

Matthew 16:21-27  World English Bible Catholic Edition

From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”

23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. 26  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? 27  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds. 28  Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Today we read, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men” or in other popular translations, “you are thinking not as God does, but as humans do.” (Mt 16:23).  How can we be expected to think the way that the Creator of the Universe does?  Is this even possible for us?

We might instinctively feel as though Jesus’ expectations, voiced first to Peter and then extended to all of his disciples in the next sentence, are unfairly high.  But there is one very important fact to consider: God became man and walked among us, showing us the way to walk in the world.  Jesus rose from the dead and promised us a share in his Resurrection in the world to come.  We know the reality of the expectations and the reward.

But at the point when Jesus said the words we read today, Peter and he disciples had only promises, not proof.  Practical, common-sense people like them – people like many of us! – are solution-oriented.  We tend to think positively and to assume that every bad situation can be fixed, and every known obstacle can be avoided.  Peter thinks surely there is a way to prevent Jesus from having to suffer and die!  We tend to be like Peter.  If we know there’s a traffic jam, we can choose another route.  If we know a hurricane is coming, we can board up the windows and head to safer ground. 

But common-sense thinking like this, when it comes to morality, is just as much a stumbling block to us as it was to Peter.  In this life we face many practical choices large and small.  Will we compromise our beliefs or hold fast?  Will we say grace at the restaurant or stay silent to fit in?  Hide the mechanical problems with our car so that we can sell it to some sucker for a better price?  Ignore the Commandments when they’re inconvenient or costly?  Will we justify shopping on Sunday by saying it provides income for the poor, disrespect our parents because they deserve it for being annoying, or steal from a rich man because he has plenty? 

Jesus did what he did and said what he said, come what may.  We must do likewise.  The Greek word for “stumbling block” is skandalos, the bait stick that triggers an animal trap.  Let us not be snared.  The path of expediency runs along the edge of a lake of fire and, as the saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Rocks and Stones: Mettle Maker #370 and Holy Communion for 8/27/23

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Two special events this fall!

Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout. Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details or get TICKETS here. Or sign up to walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here.

Mettle Maker #370

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness — What is “stone strength?” Stone strength is the kind of strength that allows you to use your spine — less accurately, your “core” — in the whatever manner is required to carry out the desired activity. For example: a basketball player needs stone strength in order to uncoil and execute a jump shot or dunk a basketball. A wrestler needs stone strength to bridge and reverse when saddled. How do you build stone strength? Try one or more of these methods:

1. Add a carry to the end of every training session. Pick one at random: Bear Hug Carry, Suitcase Carry, Farmer Walk, Overhead Carry, Waiter Walk, etc. The key is almost daily work with high variety working at 70% - 80% intensity — that is, when you finish your set, your heart rate should be no more than 80% your theoretical max bpm (220 - age).

2. Rucking. Put on a weighted backpack and go for a walk a couple of times per week. Start off light and allow time for strength to accrue. This is lots harder than you think it is.

3. Dragon Flags. Start with bent legs and work your way up.

4. Bear Walks. This simple calisthenic builds amazing stability. Do 50 - 100 yards of Bear Walks a few times per week working at 70% - 80% intensity.

5. Add weight to the desired activity. Basketball players, put on a weighted vest while practicing your jump shots. Wrestlers, put on a weighted vest while practicing wrestling moves.

Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Martial Arts - For blog followers and friends of HSD only: the Raven mettle drill. This video is unlisted on YouTube — it will be included in the HSD training course when it releases — consider it our gift to you! Want to learn Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts? Join as the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

No, we’re not talking about this. We’re talking about the actual stone known as flint. Big difference.

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Can you find and identify flint stone? If you need to strike a spark off your knife, you’ll need to find some flint. Search for flint along the edges of streams and beaches. It’s mainly found in clumps inside chalky deposits, in limestone breaks and slides, and inside sedimentary rocks. It’s usually dark grey or brownish in color and has a semi-gloss, waxy appearance.

View fullsize

This is an actual picture of flint courtesy of Wikipedia.

The problem is, flint is far more rare than you might think. In a pinch you can try striking sparks with a chunk of quartz, which shares some characteristics with flint. Want to learn more? For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 8/27/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Is 22:19-23, Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8, Rom 11:33-36, Mt 16:13-20

Matthew 16:13-20  World English Bible Catholic Edition

Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

14 They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18  I also tell you that you are Peter,† and on this rock ‡ I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades§ will not prevail against it. 19  I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” 20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

 In today’s Gospel reading, God puts a frail and faulty mortal named Peter, a simple fisherman from Bethsaida (John 1:44), in charge of his precious church.  Thank God he was a successful leader.  If he hadn’t been, the church would’ve been snuffed out. The question arises, “Is it truly a miracle that a deeply imperfect man like Peter was successful?” 

As a martial arts coach, corporate manager, mentor, and priest, I have three decades of experience raising people up from inexperience to management, from awkward and fearful to coordinated and courageous, and from doubtful to faithful.  This process is always and everywhere the same. 

In 1990 I accepted my first teaching position as an inner city youth martial arts instructor.  I quickly learned that dedication and sincere engagement were the key.  Kids and parents ask you questions.  You have to listen intently and answer sincerely and truthfully.  Every appropriate answer requires you to think, to work, to do research, and to properly order your thoughts.  Good teachers learn at the same rate as his students. Out of proper dialogue between and among students and teacher, truth and excellence emerge. 

When I got my first management job, I discovered that the same transformative power manifests itself in the business world when there is sincere dialogue between and among management and staff.  No doubt this is what Peter discovered.  He found that if he fostered a healthy dialogue – if he really listened, and answered their questions with patience and careful attention, everyone improved.  He got stronger and more effective and so did they.  But the question is, did Peter succeed via common sense management and good old-fashioned patience and hard work?  Or did God intervene to make sure Peter could not fail?

In John 1 we read “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  In the Greek, the term for “the Word” is Logos.  Logos is the root of the Greek diálogos and the English word dialogue.  When we have honest and patient dialogues – when we speak and listen with sincerity – the truth emerges.  Problems are solved, difficulties are overcome, and everyone gets stronger and smarter.  This is extremely profound.

If the universe was meaningless – if there was no God, no Son or Word, and no Holy Ghost – there would be no intelligibility at all.  All that would emerge from conversations would be more chaos.  There would only be more fighting, more failure, and more fractionation.  But that’s not how it is at all.  Because God’s order sustains all of creation, the truth is discoverable and goodness is emergent from interactions undertaken in the true spirit of Logos. 

So yes, brothers and sisters, it is a profound miracle, and proof of the existence of God’s Logos, that a poor Jewish fisherman was able to be the rock of the church.  And it is also a miracle when each of us allows ourselves to be the rocks of our families, our businesses, our communities, and our nations.  Truly, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3).  All good things are made and through our cooperation with the Word, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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

 † 16:18 Peter’s name, Petros in Greek, is the word for a specific rock or stone.

 ‡ 16:18 Greek, petra, a rock mass or bedrock.

 § 16:18 or, Hell

Relentless: Mettle Maker #369 and Holy Communion for 8/20/23

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Two special events this fall!

Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout. Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details or get TICKETS here. Or sign up to walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here.

Mettle Maker #369

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.”

When using light dumbbells, keep shoulders down and back. Pretend you’re squeezing a lemon between your shoulder blades.

Fitness — Shoulders down and back. When? Just about all the time! Keeping your shoulders down and back is a precious vein that runs through the goldmine of old-school fitness and physical culture. Here are some of the benefits:

1. Alleviates a host of back and shoulder pain issues associated with bad posture

2. Protects the rotator cuff and increases output when performing every pushing and pulling exercise, especially the Big 3: Pull-ups, Push-ups, and Dips.

3. Improves efficiency during pedestrianism — a.k.a. “walking” — which comes in handy when you’re planning to walk a marathon.

4. Amps the punishment on many locks (if you’re into martial arts)

5. Makes you more attractive to the opposite sex by pushing out your chest (read this for details)

Don’t believe me? Test it! Go to your bar and pay close attention to your body as you execute a strict Chin-up as you normally would. How high did you get? How did your shoulders feel? What muscles were activated? Now do another one. But this time, pull your shoulders down and back. Don’t allow the bones of your upper arm ride up in the capsule. If you don’t feel better and pull higher, I’ll eat my pretty floral bonnet. Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Martial Arts - Heavy bag kick combos. Get in front of your heavy bag and execute 10 3-count combos with each of the 10 kicks we regularly use in Heritage Self-Defense (punch-punch-kick, kick-punch-punch, elbow-knee-knee, etc..). If takes practice to turn a foot/leg into a sword! Want to learn Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts? Join as the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Elderberry flowers — a Virginia native!

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Native plants are where it’s at. When you start to learn about wild edibles the first thing you discover is that half of the plants you’re trying to identify in wild places are non-native. Plants that naturally occur in a given area are called “native plants.” They share symbiotic relationships with local wildlife and support sustainable habitats. Decorative plants and imports from other parts of the world not only fail to support wildlife as well as native plants but often escape into the wild, choke out native species, and become invasive exotics that destroy entire ecosystems.

There are tons of resources for folks who want to garden and decorate with native species. Check out the U.S. Forest Service’s native plant materials resource page. If you live in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, or Midwest., the National Wildlife Federation will ship native plant sets right to your front door! For those here in my native Virginia, check out the Virginia Native Plant Society’s list of local nurseries that sell native plant species. Want to learn more? For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 8/20/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Is 56:1, 6-7, Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8, Rom 11:13-15, 29-32, Mt 15:21-28

Matthew 15:21-28  World English Bible Catholic Edition

Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”

23 But he answered her not a word.

His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”

24 But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25 But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

26 But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

27 But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Imagine you are attending a child’s football practice.  Some distance away there is a kid watching who’s been following the team around for days.  And the players say, “Coach, get rid of that kid will you?  He’s driving us nuts.”  But the coach wants to see if the kid has what it takes be a player.  So the coach says to the kid, “I’m not your coach kid.  I’m here to coach these players and these players only.  You got that?”

Now, some youngsters would give up.  But not this one.  He decides to show the coach what he’s made of.  He starts following the coach’s instructions and copying the team drills.  He starts to really sweat and work.  The coach notices.  He comes over and he says, “Look kid, my players have earned their jerseys.  I don’t disrespect the team by giving a jersey to every loser punk who follows the team around.”

Many kids would be insulted.  But not this one, he’s too humble for that. He knows he sort of stinks and that he needs a good coach to realize his potential.  And many would kids would get discouraged and give up.  But not him – he doesn’t need easy, he just needs possible.  So he tells the coach, “Water boys and mascots get jerseys though, don’t they?”  Not only is he humble, but he’s also plucky and smart.

Now the coach knows all he needs to know.  He says, “Okay kid, you win.  You’re on the team.”

This is the story in today’s gospel reading.  Traveling in the region of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus is pursued by a woman whose daughter has been possessed by a demon.  Jesus ignores her completely at first.  But she follows him so long, and so relentlessly, that eventually the disciples ask Jesus to send her away.  But Jesus doesn’t.  Instead he says to her, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 

Although his mission is first to the Hebrews, Jesus has come to all the people of the world.  Is Jesus lying to her here?  No, Jesus doesn’t lie.  Jesus is like the football coach who told the kid, “I’m not your coach kid. I’m here to coach these players and these players only.” This is a challenge. 

And the Canaanite woman accepts the challenge. She worships Jesus saying, “Lord, help me.” She demonstrates to Jesus, just like the kid doing drills on the sidelines, that she’s not just hanging around.  She came to work. 

To this Jesus answers, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  And just like the kid, she isn’t insulted.  She is humble, smart, and plucky too.  She doesn’t need easy, she just needs possible.  She says, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

At last Jesus has heard all he needs to hear.  He says, “Woman, great is your faith!  Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter is healed.

Brothers and sisters, millions of people every day send up prayers that aren’t answered.  Why is God silent?  We can’t always answer that.  His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  But at least some of the time, it’s to encourage us to work harder.  God wants us to be like the Canaanite woman.  He wants us to be like the kid on the sidelines who desperately wants to learn from the coach and be on the team.  He wants us to demonstrate our faith, to be strong, and to be persistent in our prayers.

And he wants us to never, ever give up.

Plans, Programs, Persimmons: Mettle Maker #368 and Holy Communion for 8/13/23

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Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout (CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS)

Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details.

Mettle Maker #368

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness — Walking a marathon with us in November? Here’s your training plan. You don’t have to do it my way — as Mark Hatmaker likes to say, “I’m not your Dad!” — but you better do something if you’re going to prep for Mettlecraft Month 2023 when we walk a marathon. What’s Mettlecraft month? Well, every year, to develop our mettle, Heritage Self-Defense faces some sort of fitness challenge (check out some of our previous challenges here). Lately we’ve been opening the challenge up everybody in the wider Heritage Arts family an beyond!

Looking for a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Martial Arts - What kind of idiot would release a complete walking stick self-defense program, absolutely free, on YouTube? Mitch would! Back in 2015 I got a friend of mine to help me film my complete walking stick self-defense program, and I put it up for sale. After a year or so I realized I didn’t want to run a business. So I shut the doors and folded the walking stick program into Heritage Arts. I totally forgot about the videos! Well, I’ve begun releasing them. Videos 1, 2, and 3 are already out. 4, 5, 6, and 7 release next week. View the playlist here. Want to learn Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts? Join as the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Persimmons anyone? Out for a walk the other day and I came across a persimmon tree with huge fruit. Probably not a wild persimmon with fruit this big! Could it be a young peach, or a baby apple? No, that strange little tuft at the top of the fruit is a dead giveaway — it’s the dried flower from which the fruit emerges (the fruit is actually a berry by the way, a big fat berry). Persimmons are delicious and healthy to eat (lots of Vitamin C), but you should never — ever! — eat unripe persimmons. Unripe persimmons can cause intestinal blockages. Ripe persimmons are delicious fresh or dried. The leaves can be used for tea, and the seeds can be roasted and ground to make a coffee substitute. Want to learn more? For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 8/13/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a, Ps 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14, Rom 9:1-5, Mt 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-33  World English Bible Catholic Edition

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 After he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 In the fourth watch of the night,† Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.* 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It’s a ghost!” and they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Cheer up! It is I! ‡ Don’t be afraid.”

28 Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters.”

29 He said, “Come!”

Peter stepped down from the boat and walked on the waters to come to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got up into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, “You are truly the Son of God!”

At the mountain of God, Elijah is exposed to the remarkable power of nature – thunder, lightning, wind, landslides, and fire.  But God is not in these things.  With his voice God spoke nature into existence.  And so it is God’s whisper that causes Elija to cover his face in humility, wonder, and awe, not the storm.

The pagan nature-worshippers who surrounded God’s people on every side at that time – the Greeks and the Romans, the Egyptians and the Babylonians, and all the rest –had their storm gods.  They had their Zeus, their Set, their Marduk and their Ba’al.  God’s creation is incredible, it’s beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring, worthy of love, care, and respect and all of that.  But it’s not worthy of worship.  Nature and it’s fury are not God.  But those pagans, if they had been in Elijah’s place, would’ve bowed down and worshipped the storm.  They would’ve been unable to hear God’s whisper over all the racket. 

But Elijah is fearless.  God tells him to leave the safety of the cave and go out into the storm.  Does Elijah cower in fear?  No.  Can you imagine?  What faith!  What courage!  And then, what does he hear?  What is his reward?  God’s faintest whisper.  And that’s enough for any person who loves God.

In Romans 9:1-5 St. Paul says that he would sacrifice himself and cut himself off from Christ if it meant that this people would hear God’s whisper, and come toward the voice of Christ.  He says, “look, you’ve got the law, the covenants, the worship, the prophets and the patriarchs, but you’re distracted by the flash and flare.  What you need to do is hear and follow the Word.”

Peter is practically in the same boat as the Israelites to whom St. Paul is speaking.  Peter wants to join Jesus on top the water – to stand above nature, to be above all of the old pagan ideas.  Peter wants to have the courage and faith of Elijah.  But the scripture says, “Peter stepped down from the boat and walked on the waters to come to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”  Jesus pulls him up.  Back in the boat, the storm passes.  Then, of course, Peter and the other apostles say, “You are truly the Son of God!”  Brothers and sisters, it sure is a lot easier to hear God’s truth when life isn’t stormy, isn’t it? 

That’s the boat we’re in today.  We’re surrounded by nature worshippers who bow down before the power of climate change.  We’re surrounded by those who are fearful of political earthquakes and are terrified by the fires of social unrest.  We’re hemmed in on every side by folks who aren’t even trying to listen for God’s awesome whisper.

If you’re fearful, that’s okay.  Pray to Jesus Christ.  He’ll extend his hand and keep you from drowning.  And above all, listen for Christ’s Word amidst the storm and take heart.   Through Christ, “Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven.” (Psalm 85:10-11)  Through Christ, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

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† 14:25 The night was equally divided into four watches, so the fourth watch is approximately 3:00 a.m. to sunrise.

* 14:25 See Job 9:8

‡ 14:27 or, I AM!

Throw, Throw, Throw: Mettle Maker #367 and Holy Communion for 8/6/23

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Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout (CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS)

Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details.

Mettle Maker #367

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.”

Various old dudes throwing rocks

Fitness — Rock throwing? Oh, you bet! Stone throwing has been a human universal since we lived in caves. Rock throwing competitions are mentioned by Homer and have been commonplace in Scotland and across Europe for two millennia — until the rock was replaced with a cannonball and became the shot put.

A regulation shot put weighs between 8 and 16 lbs.. and a competition stone in the Highland Games between 22 and 28 pounds. Based on the above exemplars, visual depictions in paintings and tapestries, and the rare book mention, a mean stone in the 20 – 30 lb. range emerges from the mist, which is what I advise using for throwing exercises. Tip: To limit rolling, use a strangely shaped rock, or substitute a slam ball.

There are three primary throwing methods.

Putting Throw. The one-handed throw seen in modern shot-put competition, with the stone resting in the open hand and tucked into the chin/shoulder area or, if the stone is too large, with the other hand pressing down on the top. You may run up to the line and throw or spin up Olympic-style. Your choice.

Heaving Throw. Face perpendicular to the throwing direction. Grasping the stone with both hands, hold the stone on the side of your body farthest from the target. Flex knees. Swing the stone in a 180-degree arc from aft to fore, straightening the legs as you heave it upward at a 45 degree angle, releasing it in the direction of the target. Great for building rotational power.

Overhead Throw. This is the throw often seen when a basketball or soccer player completes a throw-in or inbounds pass. Get the stone into overhead carry position. Flex arms, trot or step up to the line, and straighten them as you toss the stone forward.

3 sets of 10 throws for a total of 30 throws (15 each hand throwing one-handed), done a couple of times per week, is a great addition to any fitness program. There are many ways to build up to that many tosses with a 30-pounder. Start with a light stone and do all the reps, gradually ratcheting up the weight over time. Or just start with the 30 lb. stone, tossing it just a few times rather lazily at first, and gradually increase intensity and reps over time.

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Martial Arts - Your Grappling Dummy is your friend. Lately we’ve been training hard with the grappling dummy, assiduously working through Mark Hatmaker’s incredibly rich material on this topic. 50 tosses once or twice a week will fortify any martial arts training program. Check out our YouTube shorts, one of which is on the left, or avail yourself of Mark’s great 2-DVD set Silent Partner. Want to learn Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts? Join as the club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Throwing sticks for survival. If you’re in a survival situation you have to appreciate the simplicity and elegance of the throwing stick. It requires virtually zero skill to craft one — you might even be able to just pick one up off the ground. They are virtually unbreakable, and if you lose it you can find or fashion another easily. To be clear though, hunting small mammals with a throwing stick is even harder than it seems. Throwing sticks work best against flocks of birds and schools of fish (in shallow water of course). If the critters are on the move, direct a leading throw for the middle of the flock or school in the area they are about to be occupying, not where they are at the moment. When hunting stationary birds, aim at the area just above them, as the birds are likely to be spooked by your movement and/or the sound of the whooshing stick, and take flight. And by the way, you should also practice. For a comprehensive outdoor skills program, click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Transfiguration of the Lord, Sunday 8/6/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14, Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9, 2 Pt 1:16-19, Mt 17:1-9

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14  World English Bible, Catholic Edition

9 “I watched until thrones were placed,

and one who was ancient of days sat.

His clothing was white as snow,

and the hair of his head like pure wool.

His throne was fiery flames,

and its wheels burning fire.

10 A fiery stream issued and came out from before him.

Thousands of thousands ministered to him.

Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

The judgment was set.

The books were opened.

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like a son of man came with the clouds, and he came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 Dominion was given him, with glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed.

Today’s reading from Daniel is abbreviated in order to simply and directly highlight an Old Testament prophecy that points to the Transfiguration we celebrate today.  But if we examine the whole of Daniel 7, we can get an even deeper understanding of what the Transfiguration is finally all about.

The verses just before today’s describe Daniel’s vision of four beasts emerging from the sea.  The first three bear some resemblance to familiar animals.  But the fourth creature, which is “awesome and powerful, and exceedingly strong,” defies imagination, and we’re given some bizarre details regarding its horns.

8 “I considered the horns, and behold, another horn came up among them, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great [boastful] things.

What on earth can this nightmarish image mean?  Ten is the perfect number, the basis of math and the number of the commandments. Ten is God’s law.  A terrifying, talking horn with eyes and mouth appears in the midst of the ten horns, drives out three, and makes ten become eight.  The eight-pointed star is the symbol of the Babylonian goddess Inanna.  The city of Babylon had eight gates.  In Revelation, the antichrist is the eighth king.  Eight is chaos. 

The sacred shofar, the Jewish horn, is blown on High Holy Days.  Shofar is Hebrew for “listen.”  The shofar proclaims to the people, “Listen to God!” and to God it proclaims, “God, we are listening!”  But the evil horn on the fourth beast from Daniel’s nightmare is the opposite.  It is one of the most disturbing symbols in the Bible. In Daniel 7:25 we read that the talking horn “will speak words against the Most High, and will wear out the saints of the Most High. He will plan to change the times and the law.’” Rather than proclaiming God’s truth, this horn speaks for itself.  It literally toots its own horn and proclaims its own truth, turning the law into chaos.    

God help us, but this nightmarish horn that proclaims its own truths is sounding everywhere right now.  Voices of chaos are booming – out of our televisions, on social media, on billboards, howling from the mouths of performers, politicians, and pundits, tooting and honking, undermining God truth.  They are loud today, but were even louder and deadlier in the days of Peter, James and John.  James would be the first martyred, followed by Peter.  And it’s in that context that Jesus takes theses three apostles to a high place and gives them a glimpse of his power and glory, to give them heart.  To carry them through the trials and tribulations he knew they would face.

The Transfiguration which we celebrate today – Jesus appearing with his face shining like the sun and his garments as white as the light – is a foretaste of the glory to come.  Do not be disheartened in the face of oppressors.  Do not be worn down and led astray by voices seeking to subvert the rituals and laws that are the foundation of our society and our religion. 

As Daniel’s vision predicts, and the Transifiguration foreshadows, God’s dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed.  The voices of evil and dissention will be silenced. God will reign forever and ever.

Walk for Your Life! Mettle Maker #366 and Holy Communion for 7/30/23

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Mettle Maker #366

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.”

HERitage Arts is walking the richmond marathon!

November 11th 2023

click here to donate or walk with us

A Martial Arts, Fitness, and Outdoor Skills three-for-the-price-of-one this week: Get to walking! The data is in:

• Walking is the safest and most efficient way to lose weight, shed fat, and build endurance. Old-time boxers, like Bob Fitzsimmons, used walking as their roadwork instead of running!

• And, as Mark Hatmaker reported on his blog, the benefits of walking include:

• improved circulation

• increased life expectancy

• improved mood

• strengthen muscles

• weight loss or maintenance

• joint support

• increased bone density

• improved sleep

• decreased Alzheimer’s risk and decreased mental decline

• improved breathing

• increased stamina

• And, my research shows that, unlike other forms of exercise (running, biking, jumping rope, HIIT, etc.) walking is extremely low impact. In other words, it doesn’t interfere with athletic performance in other sports.

• Because it doesn’t result in sharp drops in blood sugar, it doesn’t trigger extreme hunger or binge eating the way other more intense forms of exercise can. That’s why bodybuilders have always been devoted walkers.

• A 150 lb. walker can burn 266 calories per hour without generating a voracious appetite. And avoiding irresistible hunger is key for folks looking to burn off fat and keep it off.

• If you want to be lean, go for a walk. You can literally walk your buns off and still have plenty of juice for lifting weights – or for yard work, your day job, a night on the down, or a weekend canoe trip.

• Despite being low-impact and really safe, there are two relatively common injuries associated with going on a long walk with zero prep: Plantar faciatis and blisters. Start with a mile or two a day and you’ll up to to 10 miles or more in no time.

Heritage Self-Defense will be walking the Richmond Marathon this year, raising funds for Sports Backers Youth Fitness programs. Click here to donate! And if you'd like to walk with us, register as part of our team! And, by the way, this will be our challenge for Mettlecraft Month this year, so remote students should start planning routes, tying up togas, and getting for the ready for 26.2 mile travail!

Want to learn more about martial arts, fitness, or outdoor skills? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 7/30/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12, Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130,  Rom 8:28-30, Mt 13:44-52

Matthew 13:44-52  World English Bible, Catholic Edition

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45  “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46  who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47  “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some fish of every kind, 48  which, when it was filled, fishermen drew up on the beach. They sat down and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49  So it will be in the end of the world.§ The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous, 50  and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”

They answered him, “Yes, Lord.”

52 He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”

When I was kid, my father would let me borrow the car.  He didn’t ask much, only that when I returned it to the driveway, its interior be as neat as I found it, and that the gas tank be filled up.  Well, thank goodness he was an infinitely patient and forgiving man because, like a lot of teens, I didn’t follow the rules.  So he stopped letting me borrow his nice car.  I had to use the old station wagon that he used for his contracting business and for hauling junk to the dump.

I still didn’t learn my lesson, I’m sorry to say.  I drove it too fast and wrecked it.  At that point there was only one thing he could do: sell me a car.  My mother needed a new car, and he agreed to sell me her old 1970 Pinto for $200.  That was a lot of money in 1978, especially if you’re a 17-year-old bagging groceries.  Now, let me tell you, that car I took care of.  I drove more carefully, did the maintenance, and drove that thing for almost ten years.  I brought my first child home from the hospital in that rambling wreck!

Lesson learned. 

And that’s the lesson Jesus wants us to learn. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”  The man in this story doesn’t own the field.  He can’t possibly treat the treasure the way someone does who’s invested in it, who has taken ownership of its perfection, its power, and its perpetuation.  Jesus wants us to buy into his wisdom.

Jesus says, “the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man…who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”  Jesus wants to sell all we have to take ownership of his Kingdom.  What do we sell?  We sell our pride for humility in Christ.  We sell our greed and our envy for the spirit of sharing.  We sell our wrath for patience and our gluttony for food to feed the hungry.  We sell our lust for attention to shower on our spouses.  And we trade our sloth for the energy to work on behalf of our neighbors and our churches. 

  Jesus says, “Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things.” Jewish scribes copied Torah scrolls and were extremely careful and accurate experts in the law and the prophets.  They were consulted for answers to serious legal and ethical questions.  And when a householder digs into his savings, when he pulls out some of his treasure, it is only for something of paramount importance.  If we’re smart, we don’t touch our treasure troves – our retirement plans, our IRAs, and our 401Ks – unless it’s absolutely essential.  If we squander it, we’ll have no way to take care ourselves in our old age.    

Those of us who quote the Bible, who discuss its laws and prophecies, are being told to treat what we are dealing with in the same way as the householder – as if our ultimate end, the salvation of ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and all souls on earth depends on it.

Because it does.

---

§ 13:49 or, end of the age.

Nasturtium, Square Choke, and the Eyes of Argus: Mettle Maker #365 and Holy Communion for 7/23/23

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Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout (CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS)

Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details.

Mettle Maker #365

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.”

Martin “Farmer” Burns

Fitness: Be Argus-eyed for the waste and drain of junk volume. In Greek myth, Argus Panoptes (“all-seeing Argus”) is the many-eyed giant who job it is to guard the priestess Io against the advances of Zeus. I spent months doing a deep dive on the Farmer Burns wrestling correspondence course, actually testing the methods laid out there. And one of the first things that jumped out at me was the amount of junk volume. Don’t get me wrong. There’s some great stuff in there! I was surprised how much I liked some of his self-resistance exercises, breathing exercises, and some of his dumbbell exercises. But the proportion of supportive work to actual wrestling is about 80/20, which should be reversed! If you want to be a good wrestler, wrestle. Don’t waste time on dozens of isometric and isotonic exercises, jumping rope, running, vibrating machines, “internal massage,” and so on. Look at your program. More isn’t always better. Get rid of junk volume, and jealously guard against it's re-entry. Looking for a fitness coach to help you design a training program or keep you on track with regard to your fitness goals? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Self-Defense: How tight is your Square Choke? Everybody knows the Rear Naked Choke, and to the untrained eye, the Square Choke is virtually the same. But it ain’t. Square Choke is a forearm attack, and it works like a draw knife rather than as a triangle. And what’s great about it is that it doesn’t matter much where you lay it on — under the chin, across the chin, under the nose, across the cheek, eye-line, or jaw. To practice your square choke power, set a 3-minute timer and latch onto your heavy bag with the proper Gable grip, attacking forearm palm down and as close to parallel to the ground as possible. Now lift your legs off the floor and hang. When you can hold on no longer, switch sides. Alternate until the timer beeps. Put in a few rounds a week this way, switching up chokes from time to time. Now, if you want to know the secret that increases your hang time and your submission power by about 25%, you’ll have to enroll in the Heritage Self-Defense distance learning program. Click here to get started!

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Wildwood outdoor skills: Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), the delicious flower food. Every part of this little beauty are edible, except the roots. It contains a heaping helping of vitamin C, and more lutein than any other plant, more even that kale and turnip greens. And the flavor? it’s about as peppery and delicious as all get out! The best news is that it’s easily grown from seed, and it’s not picky about soil. It just needs plenty of moisture and sun. Sprinkle the seeds in a pot, planter, or bed in May and you’ll enjoy your plants all summer. Need more tips, inspiration and education regarding outdoor skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 7/23/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Wis 12:13, 16-19, Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16, Rom 8:26-27, Mt 13:24-43

Matthew 13:24-43 World English Bible, Catholic Edition

24 He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25  but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds† also among the wheat, and went away. 26  But when the blade sprang up and produced grain, then the darnel weeds appeared also. 27  The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’

28  “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’

29  “But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them. 30  Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

31 He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took, and sowed in his field, 32  which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”

33 He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast which a woman took and hid in three measures‡ of meal, until it was all leavened.”

34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

“I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”*

36 Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”

37 He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38  the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. 39  The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40  As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. 41  The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those who do iniquity, 42  and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Various translations use different words for “weed” in Matthew 13:25.  The King James says “tares” were sowed among the wheat.  Tare is an old-fashioned word for a weed.  The Douay Rheims uses “cockles” and the RSV just says “weeds.” But, interestingly, the Greek and Latin both use the word zizanium which is a weed that closely resembles wheat.  I believe the meaning here is that there are Christians, and there are look-alike Christians, and it’s hard to tell the difference.  But Jesus knows.  And when he returns to judge the quick and dead, he’s going to separate the two.  There’s going to be a reckoning. 

As I meditated on this scripture, I remembered a man I haven’t seen in many years.  When my father passed away in 2008, my mother and I were stumbling through the darkness of grief.  Thankfully, my father had prepaid for everything and made all of the arrangements.  The only major thing we had to do was arrange the funeral service itself.  The funeral director put me in touch with a total stranger named Reverend Harry Bowman.  Reverend Bowman was a whip thin man in his 60s who had officiated hundreds of funerals.  He met with us to prepare the eulogy and service, Mom first, then me.  When it was my turn, he gently asked me questions about my father, and got me talking.  I felt like I’d known Reverend Bowman my whole life.  I told him all about my father, about how he was a god-fearing man who had considered becoming a Presbyterian minister as a young man and who read the Bible to me from the time I was born until middle school. 

During the interview he asked me why we weren’t church-going.  I explained that some kind of financial scandal involving the minister and the board had disillusioned my mother and father.  They had left the church for good.  As for me, I said, I just grew up and stopped believing.  I’m ashamed to say that I asked him, “You don’t actually believe all that stuff, like Jesus rising from the grave, do you?”

 He smiled warmly.  And with calm confidence, he said, “Yes, yes indeed.  Without question.  And you should too.”  I confess,  I remember that he did a good job with the service, but I really don’t remember the rest of our conversation or even the details of the service.  It has all been swallowed up in the hazy clouds of grief and time.  But his witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ echo down the years.  And by the way, he also helped me bury my mother, eulogizing her when she passed in 2016.

In my story, the weeds that look like wheat are the ones whose betrayal of their church so disillusioned my parents – and who knows how many others! -- that they left and never went back.  Woe to those look-alike weeds brothers and sisters!  Jesus said, “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those who do iniquity, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.” 

And the good seed?  Well that’s Reverend Harry Bowman, who stood firm in his witness to the truth of the Resurrection.  Who patiently, calmly spoke the truth to a confused man like me.  Who has made a career out of guiding strangers through their darkest hours, steering them patiently toward Christ.     

---

† 13:25 darnel is a weed grass (probably bearded darnel or lolium temulentum) that looks very much like wheat until it is mature, when the difference becomes very apparent.

 ‡ 13:33 literally, three sata. Three sata is about 39 liters or a bit more than a bushel

 * 13:35 Psalm 78:2

Chigger Myths, Barking Kick, Old-Time Dumbbells, and More: Mettle Maker #364 and Holy Communion for 7/16/23

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Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout (CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS)

Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details.

Mettle Maker #364

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness: Four Old-Time Light Dumbbell Exercises. Old-time dumbbells were light, weighting between 2 and 5 lbs (1 or 2 kilos), and were used in entirely different manner than they are today. Reps per set were comparatively high, from 20 up into the hundreds, and they were used in complex, compound movements rather than to isolate specific muscles.

Here’s a selection four from my forthcoming old-school fitness book — exercises I’ve incorporated into my training with great results. But first, some basic rules.

Old-School Dumbbell Rules

1. Start with light dumbbells, perhaps a pound or two, and work your way up to a max of 5 lbs. per hand.

2. Again — never use dumbbells heavier than 5 lbs. each for old-school exercises!

3. Swinging and Circling are hard on tendons, ligaments, and joints if you fail to maintain control through the movement or simply go too fast. Go slowly, and never sling yourself past your current range of motion.

4. Most of the old-timers recommended around 20 reps per given exercise. Start with a limited number of reps, perhaps 8 or 10, and work your way up somewhere between 20 and a max of 50 reps. Founding father Benjamin Franklin famously recommended 40 Deep Front Swings (Fig. 7). Listen to your body and behave accordingly.

Dumbbells used properly are of great benefit. But used improperly, they are wrecking balls.

• Chargers (Fig 6): Stand erect, holding the bells at the chest. Step out to the side as far as possible, at the same time punching the arms horizontally. Regain the first position and repeat the movement on the opposite side. Vary the movement by stepping to the front and rear.

• Deep Front Swing (Fig 7): Stand with the legs well spread, extend the arms vertically. Bend back as far as possible, then swing the bells down and as far between the legs as possible and up again.

• Squat Press (Fig 8): Bend the legs and keep the back straight, touch the bells to the floor, straighten up, curl, and extend the arms high above the head standing on tip toe.

• Twin Circles (Fig 9): Assume the position pictured. Then, scribing tilted circles with both hands in the same plane, swing both arms together until the right arm is back and the left arm is in front. Repeat to the other side. If you are doing this properly, half way through each rep you will be in a “T” position.

Looking for a fitness coach to help you design a training program or keep you on track with regard to your fitness goals? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Self-Defense: How is your Barking Kick? Last week we worked on your décollage. This week let’s work on your Barking Kick. This kick isn’t about power, it’s about closing distance, causing pain, and turning yourself into a striking buzz saw. Watch the video on the left, practice often, and keep your eye out for the next video short in the series. Looking for an affordable American Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts coach? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Wildwood outdoor skills: The Truth About Chiggers. If you’ve never had chiggers, you probably don’t understand what the fuss is about. If you’re one of those people, you should know that getting covered in chigger bites are the itchiest thing I’ve ever experienced. I’d rather have poison ivy on 75% of my body than chigger bites on one ankle. Trust me — you do NOT want chigger bites!

Chigger biting (from Wikipedia)

As a kid I was taught that chiggers burrow into your skin and take up residence. The way to stop the itch and get them, the old-timers said, was to paint the skin with nail polish to cut off the air supply and choke them out. That’s hogwash. By the time you start to itch, the chiggers have already chewed your flesh and dropped off. It’s the bite that itches. Prevention is the key with chiggers. If you’re going to be going off-trail, hiking in high grass, standing in the weeds by the lake in order to fish, etc. (chiggers love damp grass and weeds!), apply bug repellent containing DEET (studies show citrus oils neither kill nor repel chiggers). If you do not have bug repellent, coat your skin with a thick layer of mud or oil. There is a reason why the ancient Greeks oiled themselves frequently, and why even today so-called primitives still do: oil chokes parasites. If you don’t want to oil up, mud up, or use DEET, you better have access to a shower immediately after your outing. Just wash and scrub thoroughly and throw your clothes straight in the washer, and you should be fine.

Need more tips, inspiration and education regarding outdoor skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 7/16/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Is 55:10-11, Ps 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14, Rom 8:18-23, Mt 13:1-23

Matthew 13:1-23  World English Bible Catholic Edition

On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside. 2 Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach. 3 He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow. 4  As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. 5  Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. 6  When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. 7  Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them. 8  Others fell on good soil and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9  He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

11 He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. 12  For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has. 13  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. 14  In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,

‘By hearing you will hear,

and will in no way understand;

Seeing you will see,

and will in no way perceive;

15  for this people’s heart has grown callous,

their ears are dull of hearing,

and they have closed their eyes;

or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their heart,

and would turn again,

and I would heal them.’*

16  “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. 17  For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.

18  “Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. 19  When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. 20  What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word and immediately with joy receives it; 21  yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22  What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23  What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit and produces, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”

In traditional Karate, the only acceptable color for a uniform is white.  White signifies a blank sheet of paper.  It says that everyone is prepared – students and instructors alike -- to watch and listen, to learn lessons, and to take notes.  In a similar vein, the Greek philosopher Socrates said that wonder is the beginning of wisdom.  He believed and taught that the truth emerged out of sincere dialogue -- asking genuine questions and giving honest answers. 

This is universal wisdom.  If we approach a situation, problem, person, or social encounter – literally anything – with a sense of wonder, curiosity, and receptivity, we will learn things.  We find this wisdom offered up by many wise teachers and philosophers across the globe.  But what we are seeing in today’s Gospel reading a much deeper exploration of this dense philosophical concept.

He explains that some, when they receive the truth, are not curious at all.  They have no wonder, no receptivity.  They shrug it off.  This is the seed the evil one snatches away.  Others are moved emotionally and are inspired for a time.  But they don’t ground what they’ve learned in their heart and in their actions.  As soon as things get difficult, because of peer pressure, persecution, or the temptations of riches and social status, they give up.

When asked why he teaches in parables, Jesus says, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.”  He’s saying, “I’m giving it you straight because you get it, but I’m not giving it to them.  They get parables.”  And then he adds, “For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.”  Here he expounds the universal wisdom that those who have wonder, curiosity, and receptivity will be drawn ever forward into greater and greater understanding.  But he adds a unique observation: those who don’t cultivate wonder, curiosity, and receptivity will stagnate.

Nothing stays the same.

A scientist who wants to stay relevant and keep innovating must stay up-to-date.  Many professions, like lawyers, doctors and accountants, are required to engage in continuing education in order to be licensed.  This wisdom is everywhere.  But Jesus’ singular observation is deeper still.  The same is true of spiritual knowledge.  If we rest on our laurels, and feel that we’ve made our successes, done our good deeds, and had all our great insights, we begin to fall into an “I have arrived” standpoint, or a “been there, done that” outlook regarding the work of the spirit.  What little wisdom we’ve stored up will depreciate, perhaps even all the way down to hell.

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* 13:15 Isaiah 6:9-10

10 Rules, 2 Kicks, 4 knots, and 1 Yoke: Mettle Maker #363 and Holy Communion for 7/9/23

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Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout (CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS)

Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details.

Mettle Maker #363

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness: The Ten Rules of Old-School Calisthenics.

Calisthenics: “The science, art, or practice of healthful exercise of the body and limbs, to promote strength and gracefulness; light gymnastics.” (Webster ‘s Dictionary, 1913 edition)

Old-school calisthenics were like the physical therapy of their time -- the original cross-training used to build up health and support long-term performance in primary activities.  Toward that end, there are rules that should be observed with performing calisthenics the old-fashioned way.

Old-School Calisthenics Rules

1.     Go at a slow pace. 

2.     Avoid bouncing or ballistics.

3.     Maintain total control throughout every movement.

4.     Move through the full range of motion.

5.     Perform at least one deep breath on every rep.  Never hold your breath.

6.     Stay out of the redline.  A motor’s redline is the maximum safe rpm at which it can revolve without damaging components.  Your redline is 80% of your maximum safe heartrate. Find your max by subtracting your age from 220, then multiply that number by 80% to get your redline.  If you’re 30 years old, your max heartrate is 190 bpm (220-30).  Multiply 190 times .8 and your redline is 152 beats per minute (or 25 beats per 10 seconds on your watch).   Keep your heartrate under redline when doing calisthenics.

7.     Stay within failure tolerance. In engineering, the tolerance of a part or system is the performance range in which it continues to execute its defined function without breaking down.  Your “tolerance” is either 1 rep short of failure or when your form is less than perfect, whichever comes first.  If you’re doing Push-ups, for example, you should stop as soon as you feel your butt starting to sag, and/or when you think you might be able to get just one more rep.  Pushing to failure, doing sloppy reps, having to psych yourself up, feeling the need to yell or grunt, indicates you’re exceeding your failure tolerance.       

8.     Eliminate junk volume.  When 25 reps of an exercise becomes easy, move on to a more difficult exercise that works the relevant body part or parts. The old-timers never wasted their time doing beginner exercises once they moved past them, and you shouldn’t either.  Example: When a 60-second Front Plank is easy, begin doing Push-ups on knees.  When 25 of those get easy, begin doing regular Push-ups.    

9.     When you hit the ceiling, go slower.  When 25 reps of the most difficult exercise working that body part(s) becomes easy, decrease the speed at which you perform your 25 reps.  Keep the exercise challenging and fresh by going slower, never by increasing the rep count.

10.  Limit total volume.  No more than 25 reps of each exercise max per day, and no more than 250 total calisthenics reps per day (10 reps each of 25 different exercises, 25 reps of 10 difference exercises, 5 sets of 5 reps of 10 different exercises, etc.).

Observing these 10 simple rules will help ensure that your calisthenics are restorative rather than deteriorative – that they build you up rather than wearing you down. Looking for a fitness coach to help you design a training program or keep you on track with regard to your fitness goals? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Self-Defense: How are your skip and décollage kicks? You don’t have to be an acrobat or do be able to do extreme Taekwondo kicks to defend yourself— but it is advantageous to be able to increase your power, move offline, and/or cover additional distance quickly using techiques like skipping and décollage. Watch the video on the left, practice often, and keep your eye out for the next video short in the series. Looking for an affordable American Rough ‘n’ Tumble martial arts coach? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Wildwood outdoor skills: How are your knots? If you don’t know the essential twelve, start with the first four basic ones and move on from there. See video on the right, and stay tuned for the next two videos in the series until you’ve masted the 12 knots in the Wildwood distance learning program.. Speaking of which, how would you like more inspiration and education regarding outdoor skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 7/9/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Zec 9:9-10, Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14, Rom 8:9, 11-13, Mt 11:25-30

Matthew 10:26—33  World English Bible Catholic Edition

25 At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants. 26  Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight. 27  All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him.

28  “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

“Come to me all who labor and are heavily burdened and I will give you rest.”  Brothers and sisters, what kind of labor?  Not just any kind of labor.  In the Greek this is kopos, which is labor to exhaustion, serious toil.  And what kind of burden? Well, since Jesus says in the next sentence, “you will find rest for your souls” we can tell that he is talking about soul-crushing burdens -- physical and spiritual loads that are too much for one person to bear.

For a year back in 1989 supervised a work crew stacking bricks in a coal-fired brick plant.  These men pulled bricks off the kiln cars, still warm from fire. For eight hours a day, five days a week, they stooped, lifted, and stacked. The plant had no air conditioning and in the summer the kilns rose the heat into the triple digits.  Sweat pooled in puddles on the deck boards. Nobody got on that platform on purpose, I can assure you of that.  Some were ex-cons.  Some had dropped out of school. One of my men had declined his previous employer’s offer of early retirement at 50% pension, only to be laid off a few months later.  At almost 60 years old, uneducated, he found himself stuck on that insufferable platform.  All of those men were well aware that they were paying for every last one of their mistakes in a kind of earthly hell.  That’s the kind of toil Jesus is talking about here.

And Jesus is also talking about spiritual toil.  We’re talking now about people who have sinned, repented, and made amends, but who still can’t give up their crushing guilt.  Or people who want to stop bad behaviors, but who can’t.  Alcoholics, drug and gambling addicts, kleptomaniacs, people stuck in back-breaking spiritual labor with no end in sight.

Jesus begins telling us how to manage these burdens by thanking his Father for revealing the secret to little children.  A child, you see, can do nothing alone.  A child relies on his or her parents for support.  “Daddy, Mommy, tie my shoe.”  “I feel down and hurt myself.”  “I’m hungry.”  Jesus couldn’t have carried his cross if it hadn’t been for his Father.  The Father passes the strength to the Son, and the Son passes it to us.  Jesus says, “No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him.”

And then Jesus concludes, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  A yoke is a wooden contraption for tying two oxen together so that they can pull a wagon or a plough.  Jesus is telling us that, if we want to find rest for our weary souls, all we have to do is yoke ourselves to him as he is yoked to the Father.  He’s telling us to rely on him as a child relies on its parents.

It’s an easy yoke, and it’s not a burden.  It is a relief, a fantastic blessing, to know that we don’t have to keep shouldering our burdens alone.  We can yoke ourselves to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  This is how we relieve our suffering today and find eternal bliss in the life to come.

Mettle Maker #362 and Holy Communion for 7/2/23

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Get your tickets now for the 1st Annual Heritage Arts Campout

Event starts at 4 PM on Friday 10/13/23 and runs through noon on Sunday 10/15/23. Martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development — for just $25/ticket. CLICK HERE for all the details.

Mettle Maker #362

What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Fitness and Self-Defense combo: Want to get your blood pumping with some practical fitness? Even people who aren’t into martial arts per se like to hit the heavy bag, right? Well, why not try pounding on a floor bag or sand bag? Set a timer for 4 rounds of 2 minutes each, no breaks, and run through this 8-minute beauty: 2 mins of Tackles to ground ‘n’ pound, 2 mins of Bottom Scissors squeeze and hit, 2 mins of Squeezes (arms and legs!), and 2 mins of Scarf Hold Switches. Now that’s what I call practical fitness and practical martial arts! Want to learn more old-school fitness and martial arts material? Need a Rough ‘n’ Tumble coach so you can learn more practical self-defensey sort of stuff? Need a fitness coach to help you design a training program that works for you? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

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A selection of edible flowers that I dried and sealed for future use.

Wildwood outdoor skills: Edible flowers make superlative herbal teas. Grow them, pick them while fresh, and dry them in your dehydrator (or the old-fashioned way — on racks in a a cool, dry, well ventilated place). Use them within a couple of weeks, or package them with a vacuum sealer and save them for winter. Nasturtium is my current favorite — so peppery! Want more inspiration, and education, regarding outdoor skills? Click here and sign up for the 100% free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 7/2/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a, Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, Rom 6:3-4, 8-11, Mt 10:37-42

Matthew 10:26—33  World English Bible Catholic Edition

37  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me. 38  He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me isn’t worthy of me. 39  He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

40  “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 41  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42  Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.”

Brothers and sisters, what usually passes for peace is something like a momentary  compromise, a negotiated ceasefire between combatants.  Open argument stops, but the parties continue to disagree fundamentally.  Fighting stops, but beneath the surface there is still anger and hatred.  But a truce isn’t peace. 

There may be periods of time when no rockets pass between Israel and Palestine, but there is no peace.  There are no Chinese troops currently invading Taiwan, and there is no bloodshed at the 38th parallel between North and South Korea at the moment, but there is no peace between these nations.  They’re not presently killing each other, but there are a great deal of people on both sides who would like to be.  That’s not peace.

Parents lay down the law and the kids may go along.  But behind bedroom doors, there’s plenty of grumbling on both sides.   Husbands and wives often disagree but bite their tongues and turn a cold shoulder.  Discontent continues to simmer.  Frustration keeps bubbling.  That’s not peace either.

Peace only comes when people talk honestly, discuss openly, and solve truly.  All of the old tit-for-tat, Hatfield-vs.-McCoy games have to be given up.  Truth has to be the highest ideal for all the negotiants.  This is why Jesus says that “He who loves father or mother…son or daughter, more than me isn’t worthy of me.”  At some point during these discussions, one or both parties must give up on “my country wrong or right.” 

Each side must forfeit petty grievances, give up on pride, and surrender their avenging will.  They must make a sacrifice.  A sacrifice.  Don’t you see?  This is why Jesus says, “He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me isn’t worthy of me.”  That’s how you make peace here and now.  And that peace is far greater, an order of magnitude greater, than a mere truce or cease-fire.  It’s a laudable goal.  We should always strive for peace.  But there is an even greater Peace – a capital “P” kind of Peace – that’s an order of magnitude greater even than that: the Peace of Christ. 

The Peace of Christ only inheres when we surrender our lives to Christ. Jesus says, “He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.”  We have let him take control.  To find peace between nations and families, we must sacrifice our petty jealousies, indictments, and vendettas.  But to find the Peace of Christ we have to sacrifice our whole selves. We have to get beyond the uneasy peace inside our heads and hearts.  We must stop rationalizing our lusts, compromising with our sins, holding onto our egos.  The Holy Spirit says in Revelation 3:16, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” 

God spits out the half-hearted truce-maker.  He spits out those seek to justify their internal, petty dictators and make deals with the devil.  Let’s not settle for truces, uneasy peaces, or temporary cease-fires – in the world or in ourselves.  Let us seek the true Peace of Christ.

Mettle Maker #361 and Holy Communion for 6/25/23

An Announcement

Hello brothers and sisters! I’ve been a little bit swamped lately, so this week’s post is a little late (just like last week's). Why have I been swamped? On account of my vestment into the priesthood yesterday. After a week of preparation, I left at 4 AM Saturday morning, drove 6 hours to The Riverside Church in NYC, got vested, performed my first Mass, had coffee, sandwiches, and fellowship, and then drove the six hours back. Frankly, It was all I could do to get Holy Communion done this morning after getting back into town last night just after 11 PM. See the photo set below. Online Holy Communion will transition to online Mass starting soon.

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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.”

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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Mettle Maker #361

Fitness: What is “fitness?” On the right is an 8-minute, practical fitness drill for self-defense and survival. Maybe your idea of fitness is losing 100 pounds, bench pressing your body weight, running your first 10K, or looking good with your shirt off. Regardless of your definition, if you’re looking for a free coach — somebody to help you design a fitness program and to help keep you motivated and on track — Sign up for our free distance learning program.

Self-defense: Put in 3 rounds of “shadow wrestling.” Get out your floor bag and lay the smackdown on it. Come up with your own routine or watch the video on the left (and by the way, there’s a personal development bonus element to that drill that you won’t want to miss). Want more martial arts training info? Check our our free distance learning program.

Wildwood. Check out this video about Danish outdoor kindergartens. The evidence is in — has been in for many, many years — that outdoor play is fantastic for kids and adults! Everybody wants to talk about “hacking” stuff, especially your brain. Here’s a great mental health “hack.” Go outside and engage in unstructured play, and take your kids with you if you have any. You’ll be glad you did. Is there enough interest to start an outdoor kindergarten here in Richmond? Well, if there was, Heritage Arts would love to be involved. If you would like to lend money, time, and/or resources to such a project, email me at mitch@heritageartsinc.com.

Holy Communion is now LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live and, to view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 6/25/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Jer 20:10-13, Ps 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35, Rom 5:12-15, Mt 10:26-33

Matthew 10:26—33  World English Bible Catholic Edition

26  Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27  What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. 28  Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.†

29  “Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?‡ Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31  Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. 32  Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. 33  But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

Brothers and sisters, Truth, along with Goodness and Beauty, is one of the three transcendentals.  The transcendentals are the three irreducible qualities.  Think of it this way.  Most numbers can be evenly divided, like 16 let’s say, into 2 times 8, or 4 times 4.  Qualities are the same way.  Patriotism, for example, can be divided into constituent parts.  It’s made up of love of country, military service, civil service, philosophical and cultural aspects, defense of shared values, and so on.  Just as there are prime numbers that cannot be evenly reduced – like 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, etc. – the transcendental qualities cannot be reduced any further either.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we can’t conceive of God’s infinite perfection. But we can see a reflection his perfection in the three irreducible transcendentals when they manifest in his creatures:

41 All creatures bear a certain resemblance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. the manifold perfections of creatures - their truth, their goodness, their beauty all reflect the infinite perfection of God. *

So, in a sense, whenever we see Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in God’s creation, we see his fingerprints.

The power of Truth is in the forefront of today’s Gospel reading, which reminds us that speaking the truth is essential.  Look, we’re not perfect.  It’s difficult to communicate with others when we’re being honest and kind.  But if we twist facts, hide motives, and behave inconsiderately, communication is downright impossible.  Without truth, communication is doomed.  When I mentor people in the business world who aspire to be managers, I stress the importance of truth in all they do.  I often say, “Your success as a manager is directly proportional to your ability to express the truth with kindness, diplomacy, and tact.”  Without this ability, a manager can’t coach employees, build consensus among groups, gain the confidence of customers, or really do anything.  And the same is true of parents, coaches, and leaders of all kinds. 

There is no leadership without the ability to speak the truth in a unifying manner.  Jesus knows this.  And so, in today’s Gospel reading, he tells us to proclaim his truth without fear.  He knows that if we speak the truth – all forms of truth, but especially the truth of his Gospel – his message will spread.  Lives will be enriched, families strengthened, businesses improved, governments and organizations purged of corruption, and most importantly, souls will be saved. 

Fear not those who can only kill the body.  Speak the truth, in all things and about all things, and transform the world. 

† 10:28 or, Hell.

‡ 10:29 An assarion is a small coin worth one tenth of a drachma or a sixteenth of a denarius. An assarion is approximately the wages of one half hour of agricultural labor.

* Catechism of the Catholic Church, Section 41: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__PC.HTM

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§ 9:36 TR reads “weary” instead of “harassed”

† 10:3 NU omits “Lebbaeus, who was also called”

‡ 10:8 TR adds “raise the dead,”

Mettle Maker #360 and Holy Communion for 6 /18/23

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 #360

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: Breathing exercises — yea or nay? “Cleansing breaths” seem to be a universal and perennial favorite. But are they useful? Do they do anything? If so, what exactly do they do? Before you poo-poo them, I suggest giving them a try. I’ve been doing the Farmer Burns breathing exercises for a while now (see video on the left), right at the beginning of every training session, and and I have to say that I really like them. Can I quantify it? Do I have data? Nope. They’re just fun, and I feel like my training sessions are more relaxed and yet focused now that I’m doing them. I’d love to hear your thoughts and impressions after giving them a good try — not just once mind you, but at the beginning of every training session for a couple of months. Want to learn more old-school fitness and martial arts material? Need a Rough ‘n’ Tumble coach so you can learn more practical self-defensey sort of stuff? Need a fitness coach to help you design a training program that works for you? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

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Blephilia ciliata a.k.a. Downy Wood Mint. Use leaves and flower petals for tea.

Wildwood outdoor skills: When was the last time you went camping? Got outside for a couple of days to see what you could see? My youngest daughter took me out into the woods for a Father’s Day camping trip and we saw all kinds of cool stuff (photo set below) including tons of beaver sign, a blue-tailed skink, enough oxe-eye daisy to fill up an 18-wheeler, and a nice-sized patch of Blephilia ciliata a.k.a. Downy Wood Mint (right). Leaves and flower petals make a mild tea. Want more inspiration, and education, regarding 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 Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 6/18/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Ex 19:2-6a, Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5, Romans 5:6-11, Matthew 9:36—10:8

Matthew 9:36—10:8  World English Bible Catholic Edition

36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were harassed§ and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38  Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

1 He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother; 3 Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, who was also called† Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

5 Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, saying, “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans. 6  Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7  As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ 8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,‡ and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.

Brothers and sisters, this week we have no holiday, no solemnity, and no feast.  It’s not Easter, or Christmas, or any of that.  And yet in this week’s readings we find a message that is one of the most profound and important in all the Gospel.

In our reading of Romans 5:6-11, Paul says, “God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  And then he adds, “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.”  He’s saying in essence, “If you think Christ’s Passion reconciled you to God, you ain’t seen nothing yet -- wait until you see what comes with accepting Christ’s Resurrection!”

Imagine if we allowed ourselves to be crucified and resurrected in Christ.  What might we be capable of?  What might we be able to achieve?  We might be able to become “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” as we heard in our first reading from Exodus.  It might even be possible for us to go forth, as the disciples are charged to do in today’s Gospel reading, to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons” -- freely giving as we freely received.  

Why freely giving?  Because Christ freely gave his life for us.  And also because, as Ezekiel says in Ezekiel 17:24, it is the Lord who brings low the high tree and lifts up the low tree; who withers up the green tree and makes the withered tree bloom.  It is God who decides who is blessed and who is damned, who will wither in the wilderness of falsehood and who will take root and blossom in his truth.  And so, it’s not for us to decide to whom we should and should not freely give our love. 

Next Saturday, June 24th, 2023 on the Feast of the Solemnity of St. John the Baptist, I will be vested as a priest.  During last night’s session of the final class I’m required to take in preparation for the service, Father Clyde Kuemmerle told us that in the old days, priests used to frequently walk their parishes, speaking to everyone they met, getting to know each and every neighbor, offering help and assistance to the baptized and the unbaptized alike.  He said that I would do well to emulate the old ways.

And that’s great advice for us all.  Each and every one of us should strive to be a priest, and everyone we meet should be our neighbor.  And let’s not forget that our assignment is to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mt 22:39-40). 

---

§ 9:36 TR reads “weary” instead of “harassed”

† 10:3 NU omits “Lebbaeus, who was also called”

‡ 10:8 TR adds “raise the dead,”

Smoke, Food, and True Food: Mettle Maker #359 and Holy Communion for the Feast of Corpus Christi

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 #359

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Fitness and Self-Defense combo: It’s not about what you can’t do, it’s about what you can do. The recent wildfires in Canada caused a severe reduction in air quality all the way down the eastern seaboard to the Carolinas. My training takes place 100% outdoors. And since the air quality advisory for several days was red — unsafe for people with heart or breathing ailments — and I have heart trouble, I had to either skip training for several days or make do indoors without most of my equipment. Take a look at the photo set above left. I substituted a pouf ottoman for a heavy bag and practiced my squeezes and my pressuring. I did Farmer Burns’ dumbbell routine. I did a constitutional — 25 reps each of Reg Push-ups, Jackknifes, Russian Squats, Knuckle Push-ups, Single Leg Raise, Reg. Squats, and Ab Rolls. I did my body toughening using a brick from the garden and scrap of mulberry. No excuses, people — no excuses. It aint about what you can’t do, it’s what you can do. T'suh!!!! Need Rough ‘n’ Tumble coach so you can learn more practical self-defensey sort of stuff? Need a fitness coach to help you design a training program that works for you? Click here to participate in one of our free programs!

Red Mulberry — edible or not edible? If you don’t know, do you know how to test it?

Wildwood outdoor skills: Plant edibility testing. If you are in a survival situation and desperate for food, do you know how to test the edibility of an unknown plant? Did you read last week’s post about the edibility test devised by the U.S. military? You gotta do it — get over there and get that knowledge! Want more inspiration, and education, regarding 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 Feast of Corpus Christi, Sunday 6/11/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a, Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20, 1 Cor 10:16-17, Jn 6:51-58

John 6:51-58  World English Bible Catholic Edition

Jesus said, 51  I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. 54  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55  For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him. 57  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will also live because of me. 58  This is the bread which came down out of heaven—not as our fathers ate the manna and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

These days most folks seem to believe humanity can nourish itself.  Afterall, we grow food and raise livestock on industrial farms don’t we?  And, thanks to innovations in agriculture, improvements in financial markets, advances in international relations, and the retreat of communism, we have raised more people out of poverty and starvation in the last 20 years than we did in the previous 200 years. 

And, fewer people are dying by violence in this century than in the last.  Owing to the collapse of socialist regimes like Germany’s Third Reich and the U.S.S.R., and owing to capitalist reforms in China, fewer people are dying by violence in this century than in the last.

On the medical front, human life expectancy continues to increase.  More and more diseases are being pushed back with new medications and treatments.  And somehow, despite disagreement and contentiousness about the right policies and treatments, we were able to overcome a worldwide pandemic with far fewer casualties than projected.

So, at first glance, humanity seems to have things under control.  But the exact opposite is true.  Monsanto can genetically engineer drought-resistant crop seeds, but only God can send down the sun and rain to raise corn from seed to ear. Only God holds the key to the mystery of germination.  We can create antibiotics, medications, and technologies to improve the yield of livestock farms, but only God can breathe life into a newborn calf, or stir the tiny heart of a chick to peck its way from the shell. 

Scientists and doctors can engineer new treatments to support the body, but end the end, all healing is the body healing itself by the miracle of God’s curative process.

And just because we’ve decided to take a break from the slaughter of the last century – two worldwide wars, a genocide, and a half-dozen communist purges – we shouldn’t believe that we can nourish ourselves morally and ethically.  There’s a war going on right now in Ukraine.  Political polarization is at an all-time high in the U.S. and in Europe.  Make no mistake: one match could once again set the world ablaze.  We could quickly return to the desert of famine, poverty, war, and disease. 

We could once again be like the Hebrews following Moses into the desert, fleeing Egyptian tyranny and searching for the promised land.  When they hungered and thirsted for physical, moral, and spiritual nourishment, God send manna from heaven like the dewfall so that the people could gather it each morning and live. But that bread, miraculous though it was, was but a dim foreshadowing of Jesus Christ to come. 

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, let’s remind ourselves, and our fellow man, that we cannot nourish ourselves physically, morally, or spiritually.  Let’s proclaim to the world that, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6); that all physical sustenance is a biological miracle that comes from God; that morality itself emerges from God because God is Love, and the fullness of spiritual nourishment lies in the living bread that came down from heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Stalking, Setback Coaching, and Edibility Testing: Mettle Maker #358 and Holy Communion for 6/4/23

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 #358

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Self-Defense: If called upon to do so, can you silently avoid or ambush a nefarious malefactor? Don’t assume you could move quietly if you needed to. Practice regularly. See the video on the left for inspiration (and proper foot position). Need Rough ‘n’ Tumble coach so you can learn more practical self-defensey sort of stuff? 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: How do you deal with injuries, lack of success, age, and other set-backs? Life isn't about what you can do -- it's about what you can do. Thinking about what used to be isn’t helpful. "Mr. Used-to" is dead and gone. After my heart attack, I had to adjust everything. Age never stops taking its toll. But I was patient. I started training old-school, using the philosophy espoused by Mark Hatmaker, Dan John, Farmer Burns, and so on, and I’ve never felt more more alive.

T'suh!!!! (That’s a Comanche expression — click the link for the background)

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Wildwood outdoor skills: Plant edibility testing. If you are in a survival situation and desperate for food, do you know how to test the edibility of an unknown plant? Here is the edbility test devised by the U.S. military. The document in which it is found, Survival — Army Techniques Publication

No. 3-50.21, is an excellent resource and is recommended reading for all sturdents in the Heritage Wildwood program.

U.S. MILITARY PLANT EDIBILITY TESTING

4-57. Select plants that grow in sufficient quantity within the local area to justify the edibility test and provide a lasting source of food if the plant proves edible. Plants growing in water or moist soil are often the most palatable. Plants growing in shaded areas are less bitter. There are exceptions to every rule, but isolated persons should only select unknown plants as a last resort.

4-58. When selecting unknown plants for possible consumption, remember the poisonous characteristics to avoid. Apply the edibility test to only one plant at a time so if some abnormality does occur, it will be obvious which plant caused the problem. Once a plant has been selected to be tested, proceed as follows:

• Step 1. If there are any unpleasant odors such as a moldy or musty smell coming from the plant, stop testing and disregard as a possible edible plant option. Also, if the plant gives off an “almond” scent, disregard it as a possible edible plant option.

• Step 2. Crush or break part of the plant to determine the color of its sap. If the sap is clear, proceed to the next step.

• Step 3. Touch the plant's sap or juice to the inner forearm. If there are no ill effects, such as a rash or burning sensation to the skin, then proceed with the rest of the steps.

• Step 4. If a there was not an ill reaction when touching the inner forearm, place some of the plant juice on the outer lip for eight minutes. If a reaction occurs, stop the test.

• Step 5. If still no reaction, taste a small pinch of the plant and leave it in the mouth for eight minutes. If there is an unpleasant taste, such as bitterness or a numbing sensation of the tongue or lips, stop the test. If a reaction does not occur, swallow the pinch of plant.

• Step 6. After swallowing, wait eight hours. If there is no reaction after eight hours, chew a handful of the plant, swallow, and wait an additional eight hours. If no reaction occurs after eight hours, consider the tested plant part edible.

• Step 7. Eat any new or strange food with restraint until the body has become accustomed to it. The plant may be slightly toxic and harmful when eaten in large quantities.

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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 Trinity Sunday 6/4/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9, Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 2 Cor 13:11-13, Jn 3:16-18

John 3:16-18  World English Bible Catholic Edition

16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born§ Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17  For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18  He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God.

All sin, as St. Augustine said, is “incurvatus in se” – to be curved inward on oneself.  Not expanding outward to fulfill one’s proper role in the family, the community, the nation, and the world, but collapsed inwardly.  The seven deadly sins manifest this truth.  Pride is the mirror that says we are the loveliest of all, and envy is the one that says we are not, but we should be. Greed and lust are obsessions with obtaining our desires.  Wrath is about exerting our will, and sloth is disregard for our duties to others.

The opposite of curving inward is to give of oneself, which God embodies in his trinitarian structure.  In his role as the source and establisher of creation, God is the sheer act of being itself.  God could have remained inward, a single point, complete in himself.  But in his goodness, for our benefit, he looked out upon the void, imagined reality itself, and spoke it into being.

And then we, humanity, curved inward on ourselves.  The church fathers agree that the apple would have been ours eventually, when we were ready. But we were concerned, not with God’s plan or the fate of our descendants, but rather with our immediate wants and desires.  We could have expanded outside ourselves to fill up our role in his creation.  But instead, concerned with our will, we grasped rather than waiting to be offered, and collapsed inwardly into sin.

Yet God, ever-loving, ever-forgiving, ever-expansive, sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, down into our sin to pull us out.  Again, God could’ve remained a single, fixed point, being complete as he truly is, in and of himself.  But no -- he deigned to grant us a second point of contact.  He came down and offered himself up in total sacrifice to show us the way out of the inward-curving, downward spiral we created. 

This act of complete sacrifice and love we repaid by killing him on a cross.  Did God withdraw?  Did he become angry, and disdain his creation?  No.  He went further still.  Our ever-forgiving, ever-loving God gave even more.  He gifted us a third point of connection, the Holy Ghost, to be with us always and show us the way.

Today, brothers and sisters, let us with one voice celebrate and praise the Holy Trinity.  Let us embrace him as our Holy Father, who rightly and sweetly ordered all things, who gave us rules and structure, laws of physics, morality, and ethics.  Let us accept his son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the Logos, whose loving hands created meaning itself and reached down into our sin to drag us upward into eternal life.  Let us burn with the fire of God’s Holy Ghost and embody his goodness and truth.

Let us not grasp, hold, and curve inwardly, but live by God’s example and forgive, freely give, and empty ourselves out into the world.

Mettle Maker #357 and Holy Communion for Pentecost Sunday 5/28/23

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 #357

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: It’s wrestling week this week. Do 25 Bridges per day, every day this week. A proper Bridge and roll is a wonderful thing. It’s supremely useful for getting off the bottom and should be your bread-and-butter. Make it happen and thank us later. Arch your back as high as you can. Begin your turn. Transfer weight from the heel to the side of the heavy foot, and from the back/crown of the head to the side of the head and/or shoulder. Lift the light foot and swing it over as you complete your roll. At no point should any part of your body touch the floor except your head/shoulder and feet. Reapeat until the cows come home. If none of this makes sense, sounds like you need a Rough ‘n’ Tumble self-defense coach! 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: Old school breathing exercises? Who needs ‘em? Maybe you do. The old-timers all swore by deep breathing exercises, something that modern folks have mostly left behind.  Here are the three advocated by the great Martin “Farmer” Burns. Try them and I guarantee you will like them.

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First Exercise: Heels together, feet at 90 degrees.  Place hands above shoulders as pictured in Plate 1.  Breathe in slowly and deeply as you raise your hands to the position indicated (this should take about 4 seconds).  Time your breath and your arms precisely such that lungs are full to the maximum just as hands are extended above the head.  Hold position with lungs full and airways open – do not clamp down on the breath – for about 4 seconds.  Slowly lower arms and place hands at shoulders as you exhale.  Again, time your movements to ensure that lungs are empty at the exact point fingertips are at the shoulders.  This too should take about 4 seconds.  Hold position with lungs empty and airways open for about 4 seconds.  Repeat 10 times.

 Second Exercise:  Heels together, feet at 90 degrees.  Start leaning forward, lungs empty, bent slightly at the waist, hands palms down and extended in front of the body as shown in Plate 2.   Breathe in slowly and stand straight and bring your arms back into a “T” with palms facing up.  This should take about 4 seconds.  Time breath and arms precisely such that lungs are full to the maximum just as hands are extended above the head.  Hold position with lungs full and airways open – do not clamp down on the breath – for about 4 seconds.  Slowly lean forward and extend arms as you exhale, returning to starting position.  Again, time your movements to ensure lungs are empty at the exact point arms are extended with palms down.  This too should take about 4 seconds.  Hold position with lungs empty and airways open for about 4 seconds.  Repeat 10 times.

Third Exercise:  Heels together, feet at 90 degrees.  Grasp left wrist with right hand.  Raise arms slowly, inhaling as you go, reaching as high as you can.  Make this take about 4 seconds.  Time breath and arms precisely such that lungs are full to the maximum just as arms are extended above the head.  Hold position with lungs full and airways open – do not clamp down on the breath – for about 4 seconds.  Slowly exhale, returning to starting position.  Again, time your movements to ensure lungs are empty at the exact point arms are back to starting position in Plate 3.  This too should take about 4 seconds.  Hold position with lungs empty and airways open for about 4 seconds.  Repeat 10 times.

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Wildwood outdoor skills: Mountains — get there.

“The early settlers of this earth, when standing at the foot of a mountain and looking up to where its head vanishes in the clouds, could not help feeling overawed by these stupendous giants. We take all these things for granted, and we have learnt to know what is beyond these mountains; nay, how they were made, and how they can be unmade. But to the early people a mountain-range marked the end of their little world. They saw the dawn, the sun, the moon and the stars rising above the mountain-tops, the very sky seemed to rest on them ; but what was beyond or beneath or above, no one could guess. In later times the highest mountains were often believed to be the seats of the gods, and the highest points were often chosen as the most appropriate for building temples to the gods. “ (Natural Religion by by Max Muller, 1898, page 151)

Want more inspiration, and education, regarding 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 Pentecost Sunday 5/28/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Acts 2:1-11, 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34, 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, Jn 20:19-23

Acts 2:1-11  World English Bible Catholic Edition

1 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. 6 When this sound was heard, the multitude came together and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? 8 How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians—we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!”

Flame?  Tongues of fire?  Tongues of fire that came down to rest on each of the disciples?  What is this flame that gives them the ability to communicate with people of all cultures and fills them with miraculous energy, dedication, drive, and fearlessness, such that they are able to face persecution, torture, and execution in order to spread the message?

This is the same flame that set a bush alight without consuming it, drew Moses aside from his path, and signaled that he must take on a new life’s mission – to lead his people out of bondage.

This is the same flame that, after the people have escaped Egyptian tyranny, appears as a pillar of fire to lead them through the wilderness by night.  In Deut 4:24 we read, “Our God is a consuming fire.”   And Isaiah declares,

Who among us can live with the devouring fire?

Who among us can live with everlasting burning?

He who walks righteously

and speaks blamelessly,

he who despises the gain of oppressions,

who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe,

who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,

and shuts his eyes from looking at evil –

he will dwell on high. (Isa 33:14b-16a)

And so we see now that this is the flame that does not consume our flesh but, if we allow it, burns away our desire to sin and shows us a way through the darkness we encounter in daily life.  This is the flame that burns away our appetite for money, power, and fame, and lights us up with passion to do God’s work.

This is the fire that, as we try to walk the footsteps of Jesus Christ, burns away the dead wood and renews the forest of our heart, mind, and soul. 

This is the flame that so purified the and illuminated St. Paul that he was able to proclaim, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20) 

This is the fire of the Holy Ghost.  Let us all, my brothers and sisters, burn with this fire.  Let us give our lives to Christ and proclaim him to the nations as the disciples did.  And let us all pray, as the priest does in Mass after he has incensed the altar, “May the Lord enkindle within us the fire of His love and the flame of everlasting charity.”

Mettle Maker #356 and Holy Communion for 5/21/23

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 #356

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: This simple hack makes your training more realistic and increases fighting effectiveness. To simulate hair, a shirt, necktie, scarf, or just an ear, tie a rag to every heavy bag and floor bag you own, and practice yanking it. The old-timers called this lugging. See the snip below from the Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language (1881) and watch the video on the right.

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I know. This sounds simple. But if you don’t practice it you won’t do it. Get there. 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: What Dr. Stuart McGill calls “stone” is the kind of strength associated with stability. Heavy carries are the secret sauce. My high school friend Scott was a farm boy. One day I went to his house to fly model rockets and planes, and he said he had to do a couple of chores first. He drove the truck down to the barn, picked up a giant rototiller — by himself — and put it in the truck. He added several adult sheep (about 150 lbs each) and moved the whole load to another barn on the other side of the property. Scott was about 5’11” and about 170lbs. I was gobsmacked. He moved very heavy, awkwardly-shaped objects like nothing. That’s why I wasn’t at all shocked when, one day a few months later, Scott exhibited remarkable strength during a friendly game of tackle football. A large, athletic kid named Terry had started playing too rough, literally throwing his weight around, bullying, dominating, and humiliating the rest of us who were much smaller. Finally Scott had enough of it. As Terry cut across the field with the ball, Scott headed toward him. Terry was confident he could brush off the smaller, and much nerdier, Scott. But, to his surprise, Scott executed a crushing tackle. Terry hit the ground, the ball went flying, and he lay there with the wind knocked out, struggling to recover. When it comes to building functional strength for contact sports and real life activities, there’s no substitute for heavy carries.

MITCH’s STONE STRENGTH REGIMEN

Day A: Bear Hug Carry (hvy), Farmer Walk (hvy), Dragon Flag

Day B: Aux Carry (Shoulder, Suitcase, KBS, etc.), Box Squats, Ab Roller

Day C: Bear Hug Carry (lgt), Farmer Walk (med), Chin-up/Pull-up, Dragon Flag

Day D: Aux Carry (Shoulder, Suitcase, KBS, etc.), Box Squats, Ab Roller

Day E: Bear Hug Carry (MED), Farmer Walk (LIGHT), Chin-up/Pull-up, Dragon Flag

• Work A--> E in order

• Take a day off as needed — approx. 4 on/1 off, 1.5 days/week on average

• Old School Protocol: no screaming, no insanity, if you can't do it every day you can't do it, gains need to be solidified, etc.

• Light = 10+ reps, or 50+ yards, per set

• Medium = 6 to 9 reps, or 25 to 50 yards, per set

• Heavy = 3 to 5 reps, or <25 yards, per set

Need help integrating heavy carries into your fitness program? Click here to sign up for our free distance learning program.

Wildwood outdoor skills: Elderberry is in bloom! The nifty plant on the right is Sambucus canadensis a.k.a. Elderberry. This little beauty likes moist areas, along the edges of creeks and drainage ditches where it can get full or partial sun. Flowers are edible raw (pluck them for addition to herbal tea, add mash to make drinks, dip the flower clusters in batter and fry them as fritters, etc.). The berries must be cooked and seeds strained before adding to jam, jelly, pie, wine, or mixed drinks. Never eat leaves or stems. In the photo set on the right you will find two elderberry recipes from Nelson Coon’s excellent book, Using Wayside Plants. The evidence for the health benefits of elderberry are really piling up. Doctors are now advising patients to take elderberry syrup to help fight colds and flu. Do not eat elderberries if you suffer from an autoimmune-related disease or are taking an immunosuppressant. 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 Ascension of the Lord, Sunday 5/21/23 – Archdeacon Mitch

Readings: Acts 1:1-11, Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9, Eph 1:17-23,  Mt 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16-20  World English Bible

16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. 17 When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. 18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19  Go‡ and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Brothers and sisters, we read in todays Gospel that, when Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples on the Mount of Olives, “they saw him and bowed down to him; but some doubted.” What were they doubting? Weren’t they seeing him, the risen Christ, in the flesh? 

Is it possible they were doubting their eyes, or their own thought processes, their own logic?  A wise man looks twice, knowing that at first glance he sees what he wishes to see.   Is it possible that the Gospel is conveying a sort of double-take on the part of a few of the disciples?  Some biblical scholars suggest that the word “doubt” would be better understood as “hesitancy,” meaning that some of the disciples were uncertain as they bowed down and worshiped him.  Possible?  Maybe.

But doesn’t it make more sense that they were doubting, not Jesus Christ, but themselves?  Doesn’t it make more sense that they were hesitant about their mission, that is, going forward to do their work without Jesus being present in the manner he was previously?  Some degree of doubt and hesitancy would be understandable, wouldn’t it, given the astounding nature of what they were witnessing, and the impossible mission they were given?  Of course it would.  Afterall, the disciples didn’t know what we know now. 

Even though we weren’t there to see and sit with the risen Jesus Christ, we need not have any doubt or hesitancy because we know that the Ascension of Christ was real.  We are witnesses to the Ascension of Christ.  We know that the obscure teachings of Jesus of Nazareth rose to ascendancy in the hierarchy of ideas.  Respect for human rights, and the inherent value of human life, largely unheard of in the ancient world, are now a primary concern nationally and internationally.  Charity and public service, rarities in the time of Jesus, are now commonplace practices.  We know that the disciples did exactly what Jesus Christ commanded them to do – that they went forth to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  We know Christianity grew from a small Jewish sect into the world’s majority religion. 

We need have no doubts or hesitancy because we’ve seen that, although he withdrew from physical view, Jesus Christ became a beacon to the world.  In the same way that a kite becomes visible to more and more observers the higher it rises, the Creator and Logos has ascended to very high place in human culture.  This is both an observable fact and a continuing, aeternal † process that surpasses the merely temporal, physical, and material. 

Jesus Christ withdrew from a world of limitations and ascended to heaven, a place of limitless potential.  The Ascension was, is, and always will be happening.  It began before the foundation of the world and continues now through our participation. So let us go out and, armed with knowledge the eleven themselves did not have, and participate in the continuing Ascension of Christ.  Let us elevate him still higher in the eyes of all humanity, lifting him up to the highest place for all to see and worship.

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‡28:19 TR and NU add “therefore”

† Here I use the archaic spelling aeternal to describe something that is not bound by the limits of time.