Holy Communion for the Nativity of the Lord

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Nativity of the Lord, 12/25/23 – Father Mitch (Evening Service)

Readings: Is 9:1-6, Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13, Ti 2:11-14, Lk 2:1-14

 

Luke 2:1-14  King James Version

 

1 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

 

In a galaxy far, far away, in a backwater town on a desert planet, an orphan farm boy finds out that he is heir to secret lineage and destined to use his latent powers to free the galaxy from the grip of the Galactic Empire.  In a cold and dusty room beneath the stairs in a nondescript house in Surrey, a young orphan boy discovers that only he can prevent the world’s enslavement to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

These are the outlines of the Star Wars and Harry Potter, the most successful entertainment franchises in history.  Writer and mythologist Joseph Campbell, in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) dubbed this story type the "hero's journey." Stories in this pattern have entertained, cheered, and inspired millions.  But as popular and intense as they are, they are pale shadows and faint echoes of a different, very true heroic story.

In a palace atop Palatine Hill in the center of the capital city of the most formidable empire the world will ever know, the most powerful man on earth, the emperor Caesar Augustus, fulfills his every desire and pursues any conceivable vice with unlimited money, authority, and power at his disposal.  Meanwhile, in a backwater town called Bethlehem, a baby boy is born in a stable because there is no room in the inn.  By contrast, the newborn baby Jesus is not powerful, but utterly powerless. Wrapped up in swaddling clothes and receiving blankets, unable to do more than squirm, he is bound up to his mother and father by the bonds of love. 

The emperor commands his servants to bring him the finest foods and treats from all over the world which he eats with relish.  But the newborn baby Jesus, lying in a filthy feeding trough for animals, contentedly eats what he is given.  He is not meant to eat whatever he craves, but to be food for those who crave righteousness.  His fate is not to feed upon others, but to feed others with wisdom, to be sacrificed, to share his flesh and blood with the faithful in the form of bread and wine.

The good news of this baby hero’s birth is proclaimed where?  To shepherds in the wilderness by God’s heavenly host – to the poorest of the poor – as far away from the halls of power as you can get.  Not to kings and queens by soldiers and standard-bearers, but to humble men sleeping on the ground beneath a new star – the star of Bethlehem.  The guiding star of the Empire, and entire ancient world, was always power, domination, and conquest.  The star of good fortune rested over those who had the greatest armies, the most ruthless leaders, and greatest resources.  But not in this story.  Here a new star rises.  And it doesn’t hover over the Roman emperor, but over a defenseless child in a dirty barn.

Star Wars and Harry Potter are unbelievable fictions.  But the true story of Jesus Christ boggles the mind.  How is it possible that a helpless baby rebelled against and defeated an empire – not with spears and swords, but with Hope, Faith, and Love?  How is it possible that he forever turned the world upside down?

Because he is the Son of God. 

You can visit the pile of stones that was once the emperor's palace on Palatine Hill.  You can go and see the ruins of the Coliseum where the empire fed early Christians to the lions.  You can walk along the remnants of emperor Hadrian's wall in the United Kingdom, or see what’s left of the Heliopolis in Lebanon.  The empire and its monuments are all rubble and its emperors are dead.

But Jesus Christ lives.  His church remains, the story of his birth endures, and the uprising continues. 

Tell your children and your grandchildren.  Tell your friends.  Proclaim the good news to this suffering culture.  If you thrill to the tales of the rebel alliance fighting against the Galactic Empire, imagine how your heart will sing if you participate in the rebellion against greed, lust, materialism, and hatred.  If you cheered as Harry Potter and his friends triumphed over Voldemort, imagine how your soul will soar when you participate in the real rebellion, started two millennia ago by Jesus Christ, carried on by a rag-tag group of 12 apostles, and continuing to this very day.

We, his rebel forces, carry on the fight against evil, first in our own hearts, and then in the world. 

Mettle Maker #385 and Holy Communion for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Mettle Maker #385

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 Self-Defense: What should a typical training session look like? It’s very hard to train consistently, day in and day out. Some days you have a really hard time overcoming inertia and getting started. But if you have a plan laid out in advance its much easier — especially if you train early in the morning like I do and you’re a little bleary-eyed. What’s your plan? Need some ideas? Well, here at Heritage Self-Defense, our twice-weekly training sessions break down as follows:

5 - 10 minutes of mettle drills

15 minutes of skills practice

15 minutes of sparring

15 - 20 minutes constitutional

5 - 10 minutes of internal work

1 minute closing oath

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

60 minutes total

Mettle drills are groups of techniques, sequences of movement, simulated fights, or flow drills that are memorized and repeated in a relaxed and fluid manner as part of the learning process.

Skills practice refers to techniques practiced in isolation, breakdowns of drills, and so forth.

Sparring is fighting in a controlled manner so as to maximize preparedness for actual self-defense while minimizing injury and trauma.

A constitutional is martial fitness routine made up of 7 different constitutional exercises (about 25 reps each).

Internal work will take the form of either contemplation, meditation, prayer or reading of sacred literature.

The closing oath is as follows: "To North, South, East and West, to our higher powers and better selves, we ask and send our blessings; that we may train with sincerity, outside the influence of evil forces, and successfully embody the Five Virtues of Heritage Self-Defense: Wonder, Sagacity, Frugality, Indomitability and Fraternity. Ex Gladio Scientia.¹ Rah!"

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts with a spiritual center? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program.

Heritage Fitness: Fitness is a walk, not a sprint. Literally! There’s no exercise better than a brisk walk. According to this article, walking counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes, helps tame your sweet tooth (according to a pair of studies from the University of Exeter), reduces the risk of developing breast cancer, eases joint pain, and boosts immune function.

And because it doesn’t result in sharp drops in blood sugar, walking doesn’t trigger extreme hunger or binge eating the way other more intense forms of exercise can.

That’s one reason why bodybuilders both old and new are devout walkers. A 150 lb. walker can burn 266 calories per hour without generating a voracious appetite. Avoiding irresistible hunger is key for folks looking to burn off fat and keep it off, because every extra calorie is stored as fat. 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, yard work, your day job, a night on the down, or a weekend canoe trip, martial arts training, or whatever your heart desires.

Start walking today and begin working your way up to a considerable weekly mileage total. You decide what’s right for you – the world’s your oyster. Just know that (barring any health barriers or handicaps) even the average, able-bodied human being can walk enormous distances without ill effects.

Just look at the legendary walking feats of Edward Payson Weston, probably the greatest walker of all time. His first walk of renown was occasioned by the loss of a bet on the results of the 1860 U.S. Presidential election. Weston bet against Lincoln, lost, and had to walk from Boston to Washington D.C. -- a staggering 478 miles! -- through late February rain and snow. He completed the walk in just 10 days and 10 hours. Arriving in the capital only a few hours before President-elect Lincoln’s inaugural ball, Weston was totally un-depleted and able to attend the event without issue.

I’m no Edward Payson Weston, but this old man – aged 62 – just walked 16 miles in 4 hours and 40 minutes at the 2023 Richmond Marathon. Everything was good for the first 10 miles or so, as I maintained a 16-minutes-per-mile pace. But as my strength flagged I had to slow down, and the pace trucks caught me at mile 16 and I was forced to stop. Oh well – there’s always next year!

Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Heritage Wildwood: Merry Christmas! Get a free download of the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program textbook! The textbook for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program is The Wildwood Workbook, cover picture on the left. It contains dozens of effective, real-world drills and activities that will deepen your appreciation for the natural world and prepare you for a variety of survival situations.

To download a free copy, click this link and use coupon code NM95U. Coupon good until 1/1/24.

Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

¹ Ex gladio scientia is Latin for “From the sword, knowledge.” This is a statement with a double-meaning, referring to both the importance of discernment (Matthew 10:34-36) and to how we learn about ourselves through martial arts study.

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, 12/24/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16,Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29.  Rom 16:25-27, Lk 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-38  World English Bible Catholic Edition 

 

26 Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”

29 But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God. 36 Behold, Elizabeth your relative also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing spoken by God is impossible.”‡

38 Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”

 

 

At the time when archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the emperor was Caesar Augustus.  Caesar Augustus was and is a notable figure even among famous emperors, not the least reason being that he is considered the origin of imperial cult.  He was the first Roman emperor to be worshipped.

His birth name was Gaius Octavius Thurinus.  His father was Gaius Octavius, a successful statesman and diplomat.  He gave the boy the third name “Thurinus” because his proudest early accomplishment was putting down a large slave uprising in Thurii.  His mother was Atia.  According to the Roman historian Suetonius,

 

The day he [Caesar Augustus] was born the conspiracy of Catiline was before the House, and Octavius came late because of his wife's confinement; then Publius Nigidius, as everyone knows, learning the reason for his tardiness and being informed also of the hour of the birth, declared that the ruler of the world had been born. (Suetonius:94:5)*

 

This was the prophecy of Caesar Augustus’ birth, ascendancy to emperor, and eventual worship.  But even before he was conceived, his mother had a revelatory experience as she worshiped the god Apollo.

 

When Atia had come in the middle of the night to the solemn service of Apollo, she had her litter set down in the temple and fell asleep, while the rest of the matrons also slept. On a sudden a serpent glided up to her and shortly went away. When she awoke, she purified herself, as if after the embraces of her husband, and at once there appeared on her body a mark in colours like a serpent, and she could never get rid of it; so that presently she ceased ever to go to the public baths. In the tenth month after that Augustus was born and was therefore regarded as the son of Apollo. Atia too, before she gave him birth, dreamed that her vitals were borne up to the stars and spread over the whole extent of land and sea, while Octavius dreamed that the sun rose from Atia's womb. (Suetonius:94:4)*

 

What sort of prophecy precedes Gabriel’s annunciation to her?  Not an isolated prediction by an occultist, astrologer, and mage like Publius Nigidius.  But rather a thousand years of prophecies, numbering over 300 by some counts, dating all the way back to the prophets Ezekiel, who wrote six centuries before, and Isaiah, who wrote two centuries even before him.

 

24 “ ‘ “My servant David will be king over them. They all will have one shepherd. They will also walk in my ordinances and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 They will dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your fathers lived. They will dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, forever. David my servant will be their prince forever. (Ezekiel 37:24-25)

 

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

 

Rest assured, brothers and sisters that our Heavenly Father is the God of all things, including history itself.  The juxtapositions and contrasts between the Lord of Hosts and the lord of an empire, and between a humble mother from Nazareth and wealthy aristocrat from Rome, are not coincidental, but rather predetermined.  They are put there by God for us to see.   

The archangel Gabriel appeared, not to a wealthy aristocratic woman carried by slaves on a litter into a temple of Apollo, but to a humble virgin named Mary, living in the backwater town of Nazareth.  Our savior’s mother wasn’t impregnated in her sleep, raped by a serpent.  Mary’s destiny is revealed to her, and she humbly accepts it.  And our Lord Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate tomorrow, is not nicknamed in honor of an act of oppression, but is instead called Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” 

  

‡ 1:37 or, “For everything spoken by God is possible.”

 * The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by C. Suetonius Tranquillus (Loeb Classical Library, 1913)

Mettle Maker #384 and Holy Communion for the Third Sunday of Advent

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Mettle Maker #384

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.”

Jesus cleansing the temple

Heritage Self-Defense: Is it permissible for Christians to defend themselves? I am an Old Catholic priest who has been teaching martial arts for over 35 years. Despite the fact that neither my seminary, my bishop, nor my fellow church members have ever voiced concerns about a conflict between my clerical and martial pursuits, I struggled with the issue of Christian self-defense all the way through seminary right up until putting the final period on this article. I wrote it primarily for me. But I hope that it will also assist other Christians looking for a resolution to the question of Christian self-defense and serve as an adequate defense against those who think it is inappropriate for a priest to practice and teach self-defense classes.

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts with a spiritual center? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program.

Heritage Fitness: New science on longevity. Watch the video on the right. I’m not saying we should all be disciples of Dr. Peter Attia. His diet and fasting stuff is sometimes a little extreme. But I do think that he advocates some really good ideas and presents science-based concepts, like Zone 2 cardiovascular exercise (walking and rucking are great examples), resistance training, and so on. Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Heritage Wildwood: Merry Christmas! Get a free download of the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program textbook! The textbook for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program is The Wildwood Workbook, cover picture on the left. It contains dozens of effective, real-world drills and activities that will deepen your appreciation for the natural world and prepare you for a variety of survival situations.

To download a free copy, click this link and use coupon code NM95U. Coupon good until 1/1/24.

Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Sunday 12/17/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Is 61:1-2A, 10-11, Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54, 1 Thes 5:16-24, Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

 

John 1:6-8, 19-28  World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light.

19 This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

20 He declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”

21 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

22 They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’* as Isaiah the prophet said.”

24 The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”

26 John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.” 28 These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

 

In my evangelization work I encounter people judge God and his church by a few Christians they perceive negatively.  “This or that Christian is a real stinker,” they say.  “I wouldn’t want to be associated with any God or religion that produces people like that.”  I also speak to fellow Christians who refer to themselves as Calvinists, Lutherans, Wesleyans, Thomists, and so on – Christian groups, philosophical divisions, and denominations named after fallible, mortal men.

Both of these are different quicksands in the same swamp.  It’s perfectly alright to look up to people with admirable qualities.  And it’s also good to be conscious of the faults and errors in ourselves and others.  Whether they are admirable or reprehensible, confusing people with God is a trap.  Against God, dispersions cannot be cast.  To be crystal clear, when I say that we cannot cast dispersions against God, I don’t mean that we are unable to try.  People try all the time.  What I mean is that they are attempting the impossible. 

The first Vatican Council defined God as, “the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, Almighty, Eternal, Immense, Incomprehensible, Infinite in intellect and will and in all perfection.”¹ God is perfect.  And his goodness is so great that it is indescribable.  Therefore, if what you are describing is imperfect or in any way worthy of criticism, what you’re describing isn’t God.  It’s something else.  If you’re going to point toward God, you’re going to need to point higher – all the way up to the Highest Possible Good.

For example, if someone says, “God is evil because of this or that,” this person is mistaken – either about the nature of God, or about the “this or that.”  God is infinitely perfect and indescribable.  As a technical matter, it is impossible to find imperfection in God because he is, by definition, perfect.  But it is also true that God inspires people to do good, and that whenever we turn our backs on God, evil soon follows.  How then are we to reconcile the relationship between God and his representatives? 

The way forward is embodied in St. John the Baptist.  Revered beyond all other teachers of his day, the Mandaeans and Sabeans not only admired him above all others, but tried to say he was the final prophet or even the messiah.  The Pharisees accused him of claiming the same.  But St. John was equally clear with everyone – both to those who wanted to revere him and to those who accused him of misrepresenting himself.  He declared that he was not Elijah returned, and he proclaimed, “I am not the Christ.” 

When asked who he was, he replied that he was just a lone man crying out to those in the wilderness – to everyone lost in a wasteland of aimlessness, sadness, depression, isolation, loneliness, and feelings of godforsakenness.  He was clear with everyone that he was just a man, announcing that one greater than he was coming – Jesus Christ, the Son of God, perfect, indescribable, above all criticism and reproach.

Brothers and sisters when our fellow Christians make mistakes, and our leaders stumble, don’t let that shake your belief in Jesus Christ.  When others point to the imperfect people in our midst, don’t let them use that lever to drive a wedge between you and God.  Don’t let it shake you.  Because God is perfect.  And the minute you begin to conceive of something that God is, or does, represents or stands for is imperfect, realize that the error is not in God, it is in your mistakenness.  God is perfect.  Let us worship him.

 * 1:23 Isaiah 40:3

 ¹  The Dogmatic Decrees of the Vatican Council Concerning the Catholic Faith and the Church of Christ. A.D. 1870.   https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/creeds2.v.ii.i.html


Mettle Maker #383 and Holy Communion for the Second Sunday of Advent

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Mettle Maker #383

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 Self-Defense: Humility is a key martial attribute. Possession of elite fighting skills is a massive responsibility. We, as men and women seeking those skills, we have a duty to cultivate sufficient humility to balance our fighting skills. Why humility? To be humble is to be small in worth, modest and unpretentious — a humble home, a humble childhood, a humble apology. A humble man doesn’t fight because he has been insulted, because he doesn’t think he’s too great to be criticized. He’s not vulnerable to attacks against his character because he knows exactly who he is and doesn’t pretend to be something he is not. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, “The virtue of humility consists in keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior." (Summa Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. LV, par. 17). Therefore a humble man doesn’t mete out violence with the presumption of godhood, becuause he submits to his superior — his God, his Higher Power. Nor does he dare to think of himself as judge, jury, and executioner. Humility is the virtue of perspective.

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program.

Heritage Fitness: Humble reps? Never push to the last rep, all the way to failure. What are you trying to prove? Who are you trying to impress? It’s a great idea to use a training journal to keep track of your progress (or lack thereof). You need to make sure that your training program is producing results. But pushing to failure to set a new PR (personal record) is sketchy. 90% of your injuries, your long-term wear-and-tear, and your post-training recovery discomfort (and lost training time) are going to come directly from training to failure. Train to the rep just prior to failure. Stop when you think, “I could probably get one more rep, maybe two.” You’ll be glad you did. Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Heritage Wildwood: The experiment continues… I’ve been working on my “homegrown chai” recipe for about a year now, and I’m starting to make progress. My goal is to come up with a chai recipe using plants anybody can easily grow at home. As I write this I’m drinking a blend made up primarily of nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and marigold flowers (see pic on right). Here’s the thing — there are plenty of people with an academic knowledge of what’s edible and inedible, who’ve memorized lists of things you can and cannot eat. But there are other types of knowledge which are equally important, and you can only get those by actually growing, foraging, harvesting, processing, eating, drinking, tasting, and savoring. I highly recommend that, as part of your outdoor skills education, you engage in all four ways of knowing: propositional, perspectival, participatory, and procedural. Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Sunday 12/10/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: IS 40:1-5, 9-11, PS 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14, 2 PT 3:8-14, MK 1:1-8

 

Mark 1:1-8  World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

1 The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

 

2 As it is written in the prophets,

“Behold,† I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you:*

3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness,

‘Make ready the way of the Lord!

Make his paths straight!’ ”*

 

4 John came baptizing‡ in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. 5 All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen. 8 I baptized you in§ water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”

 

 

The desert where John the Baptist lived and worked, and where Jesus was baptized, is the Judean desert outside Jerusalem (MT 3:1).  It runs eastward, all the way down to the West Bank of the Dead Sea. This is the same desert where David hid from Saul and where the caves of Qumran hid the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Few of us will ever get to visit this specific desert so rich in history.

But perhaps you’ve spent some time in another desert – the spiritual desert.  I’ve been there.  It’s not a good place.  Maybe you are there right now.  When you are in this state of spiritual desolation, you may feel abandoned by God, that you are estranged from him, or that he has withdrawn his Grace from you.  Perhaps you have some form of depression triggered by negative life events or caused by a physical or mental condition.  Perhaps you are being assaulted by the devil or his cohorts. Maybe God has placed this obstacle before you so that you can grow in faith and then go on to experience great joys and do great works.

Both saints and everyday people get turned around in the desert.  Saint John of the Cross famously called this desolation "the Dark Night of the Soul."  He said, "The fire of Divine love can so dry up the spirit and enkindle its desire for satisfying its thirst that it turns upon itself a thousand times and longs for God in a thousand ways, as the Psalmist did when he said: For Thee my soul hath thirsted; for Thee my flesh O how many ways."  Mother Theresa spent most of her long life in a spiritual wilderness, pressing ever forward with great difficulty.  Some get so completely lost in its barren dunes that they become completely separated from God, living lives of depravity, disorder, decadence, delinquency, and disaffection. 

But, Mark says, “Hey, pay attention, I’ve got some good news for everyone out there in the desert.  It’s the Gospel of the Messiah, the Savior who has come here to rescue you, and he is the Son of God.”  This gospel is not like the message given by the emperors and generals of Jesus’s day.  “Gospel” in Greek is evangélion, an evangelization.  That’s what it was called when the emperor or his generals returned from a campaign – an evangélion.  They entered the city, paraded the slaves, exotic animals, and treasure they got from their wars, proclaimed their gospel – their good news. 

But not this Jesus.  He’s not coming first to the happy and prosperous places and he’s not bringing the spoils of war.  He’s not walking the wide and beautiful, tree-lined streets.  No, no – his mission begins in the desert.  He’s coming to help the lost people first.  He’s coming to save the people who are thirsting to death – who are exhausted, dehydrated, delirious, dying for water.

“But listen up,” Mark says.  “If you want to find our way out of this desert you need to make way.”  As the Gospels say, we must “make ready the way of the Lord” and “make his paths straight.”  You can get out of this desert.  But you’re going to have to stop trying to find our own way through the wilderness and clear a path for him so he can get to you. When the emperor or his generals say “make way” he means “get out my way, I’m coming through with my horses and chariots, and if you don’t move, you’re going to get run over.”  But Jesus says something completely different.  He’s saying that you have to sweep away of the briars, obstacles, and debris of your preconceived notions, your personal desires, your self-pities, prides, and personal plans.

And if you do that, Jesus will bring into your desert the water of life, the living water.  Yes, if you make a pathway for him to enter your life, he will be there.  When he comes, ask him for a drink and he will satisfy your thirst forever.  He will give you a drink of the water that will become in you “a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14). 

Only make away and ask, and he will make for you an oasis amid the sand. 

 † 1:2 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

 * 1:2 Malachi 3:1

 * 1:3 Isaiah 40:3

 ‡ 1:4 or, immersing

 § 1:8 The Greek word (en) translated here as “in” could also be translated as “with” in some contexts.

Mettle Maker #382 and Holy Communion for the First Sunday of Advent

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Mettle Maker #382

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 Self-Defense: Here at Heritage Self-Defense, December is always Spirit Month. This the month in which we put a little extra effort into making time, despite our busy lives, to engage in the eight spiritual disciplines. This week, watch the video on the right, or read the below, and try a spiritual discipline you haven’t tried yet, or practice one you haven’t done in years!

  1. Contemplation: “Attention solely to the experience of sacredness.” Contemplation is the act of clearing away mental clutter to permit the full experience of the sacredness of being and the ultimate reality.

  2. Meditation: “Attention to a particular subject.” Meditation has the same root as words like medical and medicine. Like medicine there is an implication of correction, solution, or remedy. It is an active process often using a physical or mental tool such as a rosary.

  3. Prayer: “The offering of adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving to one’s Higher Power.” Prayer has the Latin root precari, 'to beg,' but it is much more than that. There are many forms of prayer, the primary ones being pleas for assistance and words of praise.

  4. Sacred Reading: “Reading of sacred literature.” The Latin word for read is lectio, which literally means to select or choose. Calm, purposeful reading of sacred texts with an eye toward complete understanding in all four senses – the allegorical, literal, moral, and anagogical – is essential to developing a healthy spiritual life and for the cultivation of wisdom.

  5. Ritual: “Human activities that orient individuals, groups and societies within the cosmic order and cultivate as well as manage psychological resources.” Ritual is the most important and fundamental of the eight spiritual disciplines. If we give up performing rituals, we give up our very humanity.

  6. Asceticism: “The willful practice of austerity, renunciation, and self-denial.” Passive asceticism involves giving things up and doing without. Examples include fasting, celibacy, living without modern conveniences, giving up perceived vices like entertainment, alcohol, or tobacco, dressing simply, and so forth. Active asceticism involves deliberate exposure to the uncomfortable or even painful, such as cold baths, sleeping on hard surfaces, self-flagellation or “mortification of the flesh,” etc.

  7. Service: “To provide assistance, labor, or care for others without seeking reward.” Care for “others” can be construed to pertain to individuals or groups, for specific plants, animals, or people, for generalized groups, or even for a shared community resource, such as a stream or park. Service can be organized or impromptu, and can be either one-off or recurring.

  8. Pilgrimage: “Travel to a sacred destination to pray, worship, give thanks, gain wisdom or insight, commune, or fulfil a religious obligation.” A pilgrim is a wayfarer to strange and distant lands, and his journey is called a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage may be to a specific destination, such as hallowed ground or an established shrine or holy place. Or it can be in search of something unknown, lost, missing, or forgotten – to find a wise man or woman, a blessed object, a fragment of sacred wisdom, etc.

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program.

Heritage Fitness: Try making yourself a mini obstacle course for all-around fitness. Don’t make a huge production out of it — you don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to build a ninja course in your back yard. Just put something together with what you have. See the video on the left for ideas. A 3’ slice of log is great for practicing balance. A rope to swing on, a ladder to climb, a fence to vault, a rail to scramble under, two marks on the ground to jump over — it’s not hard. Get there! Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Heritage Wildwood: What is vigilance? Read this week’s homily at the bottom of the page. When you’re in the woods, paying attention, and being fully engaged in your environment, is an investment in fun, safety, and survival. Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the First Sunday of Advment, Sunday 12/3/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: IS 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7, PS 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19, 1 COR 1:3-9, MK 13:33-37

Mark 13:33-37  World English Bible Catholic Edition

Jesus said to his disciples: 33 Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is.

34  “It is like a man traveling to another country, having left his house and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35  Watch therefore, for you don’t know when the lord of the house is coming—whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning; 36  lest, coming suddenly, he might find you sleeping. 37  What I tell you, I tell all: Watch!”

 

 

In biblical times, most people would’ve been very familiar with standing watch.  In those days overnight travel often involved staying in open air encampments and in unsavory lodgings where keeping watch would’ve been required.  Many jobs, like shepherds, messengers, and merchants, involved keeping watch all night under real threat of harm from human and wild animals.  These days, unless you are an outdoorsman, policeman, or soldier, you probably can’t fully relate to “keeping watch.” 

Vigilance, as it is commonly understood, is impossible for more than a few minutes.  This is something about which I have firsthand knowledge.  In the 1980s I was a private security officer and defensive tactics instructor, and I’ve been teaching self-defense and outdoor skills for over 30 years.  I can attest that we can only be on full alert for a short period of time.  We are easily distracted and grow tired.  Our minds wander, our attention flags. We get bored and sleepy.  And even if you could maintain vigilance for more than five minutes, you eventually find yourself paranoid, neurotic, and hypervigilant, perceiving everyone as a threat and every place as a danger zone.  Those who attempt to live this way day after day, year after year, are on a collision course with stress-related mental and physical health issues. 

Healthy vigilance is different.  If you make it a habit to fasten your seatbelt, drive defensively, and observe traffic laws, you don’t have to be paranoid about riding in a car – despite the fact that it’s the most dangerous activity in the U.S.  If you pay attention to the road instead of the radio or your cell phone, you can relax and enjoy the ride.   

When you’re in the woods at night in bear and coyote country, you turn your back to the fire so that your eyes can acclimate to the darkness.  You entertain yourself by identifying the calls of the owls and nocturnal animals.  You study the constellations and practice telling the difference between the sound of a falling leaf and a footfall. You taste the breeze with your soft palate, trying to smell the flowers that only open at night so that moths can spread their pollen.  If you engage with the wilderness you can relax and enjoy the night watch.

A wise law enforcement officer spots bad actors by being genuinely interested in human beings – not by being paranoid, but by caring.  He watches, greets, and engages with people.  He tries to empathically sense if others are relaxed or stressed, happy or sad, healthy or unwell.  If he opens himself to a fuller experience of the world, he only faces stress as a result of actual experience.  The rest of the time he can relax and enjoy his shift.

And the same is true for we Christians awaiting the return of our Lord.  Obsessing on decoding the Bible, constantly looking out for signs of the end-times or the appearance of the antichrist, is a recipe for paranoia, not vigilance.  No, the way to watch is to enter into God’s creation with the good Christian habits.  To engage.  Christ calls us into deeper relationship with him and all whom he loves.  “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” (1 John 4:16-17)  Be like the smart driver, the shepherd on nightwatch and the caring law officer.  Engage with the world with curiosity and love, and be you’ll always be ready. 

Week 4: 6th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2023 and Holy Communion

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6th annual Mettlecraft month is here!

What is “mettlecraft?” Mettlecraft is the art, skill, and cultivation of endurance, unflagging determination, and resolute strength of mind, body, and spirit.

This year’s Mettlecraft Month challenge is to walk a marathon or, if that’s too much, to set a personal walking record appropriate to your current health status. Post your efforts in the comments or send an email to mitch@heritageartsinc.com with your progress notes and I’ll include them here!

Week 4 UPDATE: It’s your last week to step up! Attempt your walking record and post your comments below!

Week 3 UPDATE: Walking? Maybe not. I seem to be the only one who’s really gotten into this year’s walking challenge. No big deal — every year can’t be a smash hit for everybody. So last Thursday the local Heritage Self-Defense group ran through the 2022 challenge known as #86 and got through 15 reps of each in 15:00 flat. Not too shabby!

Week 2 UPDATE: I tried to walk the Richmond Marathon on 11/11/23. Unfortunately the pace trucks caught me at the 16-mile mark (about 4:40). For those who haven’t done a marathon, the trucks that break down the course (gathering up water and medical stations, picking up trash, removing traffic barricades, etc.) follow the participants through the course. They proceed at the slowest pace speed (the equivalent of a 16-minute mile) to ensure prompt closure of the event at the 7-hour mark. Local police reopen traffic behind them. If you don’t stay on pace, you have to walk without traffic control and race support. I’m a heart attack survivor, so it would’ve been very unwise for me to continue walking without water and medical staff. Even though I didn’t finish, it was a fun event, and I’m happy that Heritage Arts raised $100 to support Sportsbackers youth fitness programs. Photo set below — click on the pics to view my comments.

Want to reminisce about Mettlecraft Months of the past? Here are some links…

5th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2022

4th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2021

3rd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2020

2nd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2019

1st Annual Mettlecraft Month 2018

Mettle Maker #381

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 Self-Defense: Who’s the scariest villain in the movie? Who’s the most intimidating wrestler on the mat? Who’s the strongest man in the gym? The answer is the same: the dude with the biggest neck. The neck is a smart fighter’s primary target, when striking, grappling, and wrestling. A martial artist with a weak neck is at a serious disadvantage. So for years I did the Farmer Burns exercises. But as I’ve gotten older, my neck just got smaller and weaker. Frankly, I began to suspect that Martin “Farmer” Burns just naturally had a big, strong, superhuman neck, or possibly even that he didn’t actually practice the neck strengthening exercises he advocated in his correspondence course. So I went after his program assiduously, training daily, for months. All I got was neck pain. So I embarked on a quest for an effective, sensible, evidence-based, commons sense program. The result is the program in the video above. It takes about 10 minutes 3 times a week, and it added 3/8” to my neck diameter. Try out and let me know your results. Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Here’s picture of this CNL as it appeared in my training log. Are you keeping a training log? No? Hmmm…

Heritage Fitness: Try the constitutional pictured on the left. 25 reps of each: Calf Raise, Genuflect (a.k.a. Rear Lunge), Back Bridge, Bicycles, A-Frame Push-ups, Side Planks, and Single Leg Raises. Look, if you can find a cheaper, faster, safer way than the calisthenics and walking combo to increase your fitness level, please let me know, because I’d like to know! Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Heritage Wildwood: How's your weather wisdom? More weather proverbs! Do you know which tidbits of old-timey weather wisdom are reliable and which are merely myths? Is a read sky at night really a sailor's delight? Do trees really show the undersides of their leaves before a storm? Last time I suggested you evaluate an excerpt from Robert Baden-Powell's Scouting For Boys (7th Edition, 1915). This week, take a look at the photo set on the right — all taken from Harper's Camping and Scouting (1911) — and do the same. Which ones are legit, and which ones are old wive’s tales? Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Sunday 11/26/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Ez 34:11-12, 15-17, Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6, 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28, Mt 25:31-46

 

Matthew 25:31-46  World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

Jesus said to his disciples, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32  Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33  He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34  Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35  for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. 36  I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.’

37  “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38  When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? 39  When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

40  “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,§ you did it to me.’ 41  Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; 42  for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43  I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44  “Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’

45  “Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ 46  These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

 

Brothers and sisters, God is a unifier.  He wants to “seek that which was lost” to “bring back that which was driven away,” to “bind up that which was broken.”  (Ez 34:16).  He wants to join and mend.  The devil, on the other hand, is a divider.  He is diabolic.  Diabolic comes from Latin.  It literally means di-, which is “two” and abolere, “to abolish, destroy, annihilate.”  The devil wants to divide and conquer God’s flock.  And, with our willing cooperation, he’s had done a masterful job. 

Satan’s first success was the Great Schism of 1054, in which there arose between the Western and Eastern churches a two-pronged argument over the proper understanding and expression of the Nicene Creed and whether or not the bread used during Mass should be leavened or unleavened.  This is how the Devil works.  Knowing how badly we want to be right, he uses the idolatrous bait and switch.  He offered each side the opportunity to worship the subject of the dispute rather than God himself, and both sides took the bait.

The devil’s second great diabolic success was the Protestant reformation. In response to serious corruption and misdeeds, reformers from within leveled sincere, valid, and much-needed criticisms against the Western church.  But soon both sides took the devil’s bait and began to worship their positions rather than God.  And this split, by far the evil one’s greatest victory so far, was the first domino in a series of cascading, ever-toppling, still-unfolding schisms.

The evil one’s third triumph will be the destruction of the world’s largest Christian denomination, the Roman Catholic Church.  Even now, many arguments are brewing, the most contentious and petty being over whether or not the Mass should be said in Latin.  It’s approaching fever pitch.  The more the Church attempts to force all believers to perform Mass in native languages, the more traditionalists cleave to Latin.  Once again, the devil is performing his diabolic bait and switch, tempting each side to worship the words they speak rather than the Word who created the universe.

Notice brothers, and sisters how, in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says that at the Last Judgment, both sides will say the same thing: “Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison”?  In this great teaching, Jesus tells us that, in the end, both the righteous and the unrighteous are ignorant of the fact that how we love our neighbor is the measure of how we love God.

We would be wise to remember that the God’s first commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” or as Jesus restated it in the Gospel, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30). Only our King, who will come again, can judge between the quick and the dead – between those who are alive in love for him and those who are dead in their love for their own devices.

 § 25:40 The word for “brothers” here may be also correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

Week 3: 6th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2023 and Holy Communion

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6th annual Mettlecraft month is here!

What is “mettlecraft?” Mettlecraft is the art, skill, and cultivation of endurance, unflagging determination, and resolute strength of mind, body, and spirit.

This year’s Mettlecraft Month challenge is to walk a marathon or, if that’s too much, to set a personal walking record appropriate to your current health status. Post your efforts in the comments or send an email to mitch@heritageartsinc.com with your progress notes and I’ll include them here!

Week 3 UPDATE: Walking? Maybe not. I seem to be the only one who’s really gotten into this year’s walking challenge. No big deal — every year can’t be a smash hit for everybody. So last Thursday the local Heritage Self-Defense group ran through the 2022 challenge known as #86 and got through 15 reps of each in 15:00 flat. Not too shabby!

Week 2 UPDATE: I tried to walk the Richmond Marathon on 11/11/23. Unfortunately the pace trucks caught me at the 16-mile mark (about 4:40). For those who haven’t done a marathon, the trucks that break down the course (gathering up water and medical stations, picking up trash, removing traffic barricades, etc.) follow the participants through the course. They proceed at the slowest pace speed (the equivalent of a 16-minute mile) to ensure prompt closure of the event at the 7-hour mark. Local police reopen traffic behind them. If you don’t stay on pace, you have to walk without traffic control and race support. I’m a heart attack survivor, so it would’ve been very unwise for me to continue walking without water and medical staff. Even though I didn’t finish, it was a fun event, and I’m happy that Heritage Arts raised $100 to support Sportsbackers youth fitness programs. Photo set below — click on the pics to view my comments.

Want to reminisce about Mettlecraft Months of the past? Here are some links…

5th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2022

4th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2021

3rd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2020

2nd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2019

1st Annual Mettlecraft Month 2018

Mettle Maker #380

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 Self-Defense: How's your pain tolerance? See photo on the right. Half fill a large pitcher with water and ice. Set timer for 3 mins and plunge your open hand and lower arm into it to test your pain tolerance. Do not squirm, make faces, or utter a sound. If you can’t go the full 3 mins, practice daily until you can. Note: As shown in Mythbusters episode #142, holding a hand in ice water for ≤ 3 minutes is safe for people with no precluding health issues. Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: Take a shot at Self-Destruct Sequence. Zombie Squats (50), Push-ups, diamond (25), Jump Squats (100), 10-Count Bodybuilders (25), Pikes/Leg Triangles (25), Jump Squats, split (50), Push-ups, Sit-out (25), Bicycles (50 each side), Burpees (25), Twisters (25 each side), Wall Touches (100), Push-ups, hopping/clapping (25). Arman holds the club record at 21:15 , and the immortal Mark Hatmaker holds the all-time record at 21:05 (while smoking a cigar). Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Heritage Wildwood: How's your weather wisdom? D o you know which tidbits of old-timey weather wisdom are reliable and which are merely myths? Is a read sky at night really a sailor's delight? Do trees really show the undersides of their leaves before a storm? Click the picture above to enlarge and expand this excerpt from Robert Baden-Powell's Scouting For Boys (7th Edition, 1915). Which of these are reliable and which are not? Well I guess you better go investigate and find out! Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 11/19/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 1 Thes 5:1-6, Mt 25:14-30

 

Matthew 25:14-30  World English Bible

 

14  “For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. 15  To one he gave five talents,‡ to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. 16  Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17  In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. 18  But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money.

19  “Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled accounts with them. 20  He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’

21  “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

22  “He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents in addition to them.’

23  “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24  “He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. 25  I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’

26  “But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. 27  You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. 28  Take away therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29  For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. 30  Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

 

 

Some years ago I was a mid-level accounting manager looking to hire a file person.  I got a stack of resumes from the Virginia Employment Commission’s special placements section for handicapped people.  I asked the VEC to bring them in for interviews. 

The first few didn’t show much promise.  But then in walked Barbara.  She wasn’t very articulate, but she was a smiling bundle of enthusiasm.  It was like sitting across the table from a slice of golden sunshine.  So I decided to give her a little test.  I led her to the file room down the hall, handed her about a hundred invoices, and asked her to put them in numerical order.  Then I went back to the conference room.  I barely had enough time to sit down and exchange a sentence or two with the VEC representatives before Barbara was back.  I assumed she was confused or had a question.  But no – she was finished.

I flipped through the pile.  There were no errors I could see.  Sensing my shock at her speed and accuracy, the VEC folks explained that Barbara grasped number sequences intuitively, like colors or smells.  We all chatted a bit.  Barbara explained that her children were now in school and she was looking to enter the workforce for the first time.  She wanted to bring in some money so that her husband Charlie wouldn’t have to work so hard.  She hoped that, with her help, the could perhaps get ahead.  She said that she had been looking for a job for a very long time, but nobody had given her the time of day.  

I gave her the position on the spot.  I would’ve been a fool not to.  She was tailormade for putting papers in numerical order, and to her, this monotonous job was a golden opportunity.  She worked for me for many years.  And in time she learned to do more.  She filled in for our receptionist, greeted customers, answered calls, and so on. 

Like Barbara, we are all given certain talents.  Make no mistake – the word talent, as in a natural, in-born gift, is literally the same word as a talent, a standard weight of silver in the ancient world.  They are not, by any means, different words that happen to sound the same.  They are the same word.  A talent – a skill – is money in the bank.  Unless of course we bury it in the ground like the third servant, who takes the one talent of silver his master gives him and puts it where it cannot multiply. 

The master shuts this lazy man out, leaving him in the cold and dark.  Don’t you see?  That could’ve been Barbara.  Imagine how hard it must’ve been for an adult woman with learning disabilities, and no experience, to go out and try to find a job. God gave Barbara one talent.  Did she bury it?  No, no!  She was brave.  She took a courageous risk, and it paid off.  Not just for her and her family, but for me, my business, and everyone who got to see her smile.

We are all given talents by our creator, and we are supposed to put them to good use, not just for ourselves, but for the good of everyone – for our families, coworkers, communities, churches, and ultimately, for the greater glory of God.

‡ 25:15 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds (usually used to weigh silver unless otherwise specified)

Week 2: 6th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2023 and Holy Communion

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6th annual Mettlecraft month is here!

What is “mettlecraft?” Mettlecraft is the art, skill, and cultivation of endurance, unflagging determination, and resolute strength of mind, body, and spirit.

This year’s Mettlecraft Month challenge is to walk a marathon or, if that’s too much, to set a personal walking record appropriate to your current health status. Post your efforts in the comments or send an email to mitch@heritageartsinc.com with your progress notes and I’ll include them here!

Week 2 UPDATE: I tried to walk the Richmond Marathon yesterday. Unfortunately the pace trucks caught me at the 16-mile mark (about 4:40). For those who haven’t done a marathon, the trucks that break down the course (gathering up water and medical stations, picking up trash, removing traffic barricades, etc.) follow the participants through the course. They proceed at the slowest pace speed (the equivalent of a 16-minute mile) to ensure prompt closure of the event at the 7-hour mark. Local police reopen traffic behind them. If you don’t stay on pace, you have to walk without traffic control and race support. I’m a heart attack survivor, so it would’ve been very unwise for me to continue walking without water and medical staff. Even though I didn’t finish, it was a fun event, and I’m happy that Heritage Arts raised $100 to support Sportsbackers youth fitness programs. Photo set below — click on the pics to view my comments.

Want to reminisce about Mettlecraft Months of the past? Here are some links…

5th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2022

4th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2021

3rd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2020

2nd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2019

1st Annual Mettlecraft Month 2018

Mettle Maker #379

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 — Did you ever hear of Jack LaLanne? The incredible Jack LaLanne was a fitness phenomenon, an unparalleled paragon of power, an American physical culture icon. To learn more about this remarkable man, check out his website. But if you want just a quick overview, here are just a few of his feats and firsts:

Jack Lalanne

  • 1930 AAU Wrestling Championship

  • 1936 AAU wrestling medal

  • 1955 Age 41: Swam, handcuffed, from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA.

  • 1956 Age 42: Set a world record of 1,033 pushups in 23 minutes

  • 1974 Age 60: Swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, this time shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat

  • 1980 Age 66: Towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida filled with 77 people for over a mile in less than 1 hour.

  • 1984 Age 70: Handcuffed and shackled, towed 70 boats with 70 people 1 ½ miles.

  • Opened the first modern, coed health spa

  • Inventor of the Hindu Jump calisthenic

  • Inventor of the first leg extension machine

  • Invented the first weight selector for cable machines

  • Conceived the design for Smitch Machine

  • First, and longest running, nationally syndicated exercise TV show (1951-1985)

  • The first to sell vitamins and exercise equipment on television

  • First to teach a revolving 2-3 week body building training program

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award

  • Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Y.M.C.A. Impact Award, and too many more awards to list

In his honor I put together a Jack LaLanne constitutional made up of 7 of his favorite calisthenics (based on videos of his TV show and a review of available published materials).: Push-ups, Jumping Jacks, Standing Side Leg Raises, High Steps, Knee Raises, Calf Raises, and Hindu Jumps (which he invented!). Complete 25 of each. Jack often advocated 6-8 reps sets for beginners and 10-15 reps or more for those more advanced. See the video above-left for the details.

Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Martial Arts — The Short Circling Drill is a great way to hardwire “move while you hit and hit while you move.” Get in front of your heavy bag. Throw a Jab-Cross combo as you circle, then Jab-Jab-Cross, then Jab-Jab-Jab-Cross, and finally 4 Jabs and a Cross. Then change stance and repeat back the other way. Put in three rounds. When you get done, try the constitutional above. Jack was a wrestler after all! Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program! For an intro on Heritage Art’s distance learning programs, watch the video above.

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — In a survival situation, how do you turn a scrap of cloth into cordage? I was in the middle of shooting a video on this topic when guess what popped into my YouTube feed? The video below. Here Creek Stewart (one of my favorite outdoor skills instructors) illustrates how to spiral cut a small animal skin to make cordage.

You can also cut cloth this way — see the diagram above — then reverse twist it into cordage. For a video showing how to reverse wrap cordage, click here (Creek Stewart again — he’s a powerhouse). Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday 11/12/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Wis 6:12-16, Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 1 Thes 4:13-18, Mt 25:1-13

 

Matthew 25:1-13  World English Bible

 

Jesus said, “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3  Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, 4  but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5  Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6  But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ 7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.† 8  The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9  But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10  While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. 11  Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ 12  But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13  Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

 

 

What is a virgin?  A young woman who has not lain with a man, symbolizing a man or woman who is not promiscuous.  This is someone who is in control of his or her behavior.  Ten is the number of the Ten Commandments, what the Hebrews called “The Ten Words” or “The Ten Sayings” and ten is the number associated with malkut, the Jewish mystical concept of physical creation.

Thus we see that the ten virgins are all following the rules.  They are pure in their worldly behavior.  But self-control, although praiseworthy, faces inward.  Discipline is a type of light, but it is a containment rather than an outpouring of light.  It’s also necessary for the spirit that inspired the discipline to have an outburst.  The virgins, therefore, carry lamps so that their light can shine forth. 

This part of the parable is an echo of Matthew 5:14-16. “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” It’s not enough for us to be in control of our behavior.  We must go into the world and shine our light into dark places, into prisons, hospitals, and churches, into the lives of disordered people, and into the structures of benighted institutions, filling them with God’s light: Goodness, Beauty, and Truth, Faith, Hope, and Love.    

In Jesus’ parable, all of the virgins fall asleep.  We are all imperfect.  We are bound to need rest, and our focus is destined to wax and wane.  But if we are wise, we will be ready with extra reserves of fuel.  We won’t, like the foolish virgins, expect others to give us some of their oil.  But what is this mysterious oil, and what is this lamp we are expected to carry?

   The oil is the understanding and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior who lives in us and in whom we live.  We can’t just follow the laws and be virgins.  St. Paul says in Galatians 2:19-20, “For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”  We can’t do this ourselves.  We must be fueled by union with him.

And what is the lamp?  In Revelation 21:23 we read that the New Jerusalem, “has no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it and its lamp is the Lamb.”  As we await our Savior’s return, let us hold high the light of the Christ and let it shine into every dark place.

 † 25:7 The end of the wick of an oil lamp needs to be cut off periodically to avoid having it become clogged with carbon deposits. The wick height is also adjusted so that the flame burns evenly and gives good light without producing a lot of smoke.

6th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2023 Week 1 and Holy Communion

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6th annual Mettlecraft month is here!

During Mettlecraft month — every November — we work just a little bit harder than usual. This year’s Mettlecraft Month challenge is to walk a marathon or, if that’s too much, to set a personal walking record appropriate to your current health status. Post your efforts in the comments or send an email to mitch@heritageartsinc.com with your progress notes and I’ll include them here!

What is “mettlecraft?” Mettlecraft is the art, skill, and cultivation of endurance, unflagging determination, and resolute strength of mind, body, and spirit.

Want to reminisce about Mettlecraft Months of the past? Here are some links…

5th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2022

4th Annual Mettlecraft Month 2021

3rd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2020

2nd Annual Mettlecraft Month 2019

1st Annual Mettlecraft Month 2018

It might not be too lake to walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here!

Mettle Maker #379

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 — Did you ever hear of a Kansas Burpee? For those who are looking for a little something extra to spice things up, try knocking out 25 Kansas Burpees. Watch the video on the left, give a go, and let me know how it went in the comments.

Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Martial Arts — try the Kansas Burpee challenge above. The diabolical Kansas Burpee comes straight from the mind of the Immortal Mark Hatmaker, the greatest old-school fighting coach on the planet. 25 of them is plenty. When you get there, let me know how you feel.

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program! For an intro on Heritage Art’s distance learning programs, watch the video above.

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Engage yourself, and your kids, in the spirit of Fall by stamping with leaves. Last week I suggested you picking up a leaf you can’t identify and sketching it in your training journal as a way to learn about a new tree or plant. This week I’d like to suggest using leaves to stamp images into your training journal. This is another way to switch on the learning process, especially for kids and adults who aren’t particularly comfortable drawing. It’s also a great family activity. The photos above were taken out in my backyard while my wife was helping a two-year-old she nannies stamp leaves on paper. Outdoor play with natural materials has incredible benefits, including improved gross motor skills, healthy eating, eyesight, cognitive development, academic performance, self-confidence, and immune system health, as well as lessening of ADHD symptoms and stress levels.

Looking for a comprehensive adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!

Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the All Souls Day, Sunday 11/5/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Isaiah 25:6-10a, Psalm 103:8,10,13-14,15-16,17-18, Romans 8:31b-39, John 6:51-58

 

John 6:51-58  World English Bible

 

Jesus said, “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.”

 

Across a hundred millennia, humanity has developed a myriad of theories about death – reincarnation, metempsychosis, Norse Valhalla, Greek Hades, Jewish sheol, and so forth.  In like manner, the fathers of the Christian church, starting with the apostle Paul and flowing downstream, espoused a truly unique viewpoint.

They began with the idea that nothing can move directly from pre-existence into being.  Their logic was simple.  You can’t say, “On March the 12th Fred went from being nothing to being something” because, prior to March the 12th, there was no Fred.  “Being nothing” is a contradiction.  Fred can’t move from nothingness to somethingness because there was no Fred to move.  Something cannot materialize out of nothing. 

Drawing on Aristotle and Plato’s concept of forms, the Christian church fathers – St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and many others – elegantly solved the problem of creation in the following way.  Fred is caused.  He grew out of the material contributions of his father and mother.  Everything has a cause.  Otherwise people, objects, animals, and so on would just pop into and out of existence.  But, they posited, if we trace Fred back a bit farther, he began with a gleam in his parents’ eye.  This is a third state of being sometimes referred to as the prima materia, Latin for “first matter.”  This is the state of non-being or potential.  We all acknowledge this state when we say things like, “Fred is not living up to his potential” or when we look at a dingy dresser and see what it could be with a coat of paint.

First matter is like an object over which a sheet is draped.  If you throw a sheet over a chair, the sheet resembles a chair.  If you lay it over a bust of Edgar Allen Poe, it looks like Poe. Anyone who makes or creates anything first works in the realm of potential, conceiving a work of art, a song, a building, an invention, etc.  If there was no potential, then nothing could become.  The engine of reality would cease to run, and Being itself would cease to be.  Only God, as the first cause, can bring something out of nothing.  He brought into being potential itself, the prima materia, and this state of potential is the foundation upon which existence rests. 

In Genesis 3:21, after Adam and Eve have eaten the forbidden fruit, we read, “The LORD God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.”  Because they sinned, our first parents were given corruptible skins, bodies that deteriorate.  This is a metaphor for the fact that everything that exists in the universe now has a “corruptible skin.”  All things die, all metals oxidize and rust, all foods rot, and all suns burn out.  All things decay.¹ 

The miracle of Christian theology is at once starkly logical and filled with the beauty, hope, and love of the Holy Ghost.  St. Paul sums all this up in Romans 4:17, saying that God, “gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.”

My friends, Fred’s birth is the draping of his potential with a sheet – the receiving of his imperfect garment of skin.  Conversely, his death is his undraping.  When Fred dies, he doesn’t cease to exist – he merely goes back to the realm of potential, back to prima materia.  And there he remains, awaiting the blessed hope of the resurrection when, by the grace of God, he may realize his full potential and receive a new and incorruptible garment of glory. 

 ¹  St. Gregory of Nyssa said, “Likewise, when we have put off that dead and ugly garment that was made for us from irrational skins…we throw off every part of our irrational skin along with the removal of the garment.”  And St. Augustine said, “Adam and Eve, who were stripped of their first garment of innocence, deserved by their mortality garments of skin. For the true honor of man is to be the image and the likeness of God.”   https://catenabible.com/gn/3

A Scheme, a Sketch, and Two Paths: Mettle Maker #378 and Holy Communion for 10/29/23

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special event for mettlecraft month in november

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

Mettle Maker #378

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 — An entry level training plan for novices, seniors, rehabbers, and the seriously overweight. This week we got a new sign up to Heritage Self-Defense Distance Learning program who, although he used to complete triathlons, finds himself over 60 and seriously overweight. And we have another person in exactly the same boat who recently started coming out to the martial arts club here in Richmond. It’s really rather common. Work and life get in the way, the pounds go on, and then it’s hard to know where to start. You have no operating manual for the body you find yourself in — stiff, prone to tendonitis, injury, and cramps, lacking in explosiveness and endurance, slower to recover, etc. Older bodies have lower throughput and much lower fault tolerance than younger ones. If you an older person jumps in and start doing the stuff he or she used to do, injury is almost certain. Here’s a simple plan for most anybody looking for a place to start.

Entry Level Fitness Program for Novices, Seniors, Rehabbers, and the Seriously Overweight.

Note: Always see your doctor before starting a new fitness program.

1. Walk as often as you can, daily if possible. Walking is the safest form of exercise and the best way to shed pounds. By the mile, walking burns the same calories as running with far less stress on the body. Walking was the way old-time boxers made weight, and it still works. Start with a couple of blocks and work your way up slowly. Solidify your gains for 5 days — in other words, no more than one increase in time/speed/distance per 5 days.

2. Eat 3 square meals a day and one snack. Counting calories is tedious and unnecessary. Just eat 3 squares a day and a snack, each containing between 10 and 20 grams of fat (that’s 1 - 2 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp mayo or salad dressing, etc.). Less than 10 and you'll be hungry in an hour, more than 20 is just extra calories. Eat reasonable portions. Breakfast might be a glass of 2% milk and a slice of whole wheat toast with a tbsp of butter. Lunch, might be a peanut butter sandwich and an apple. A reasonable dinner might be a piece of meat the size of your hand, a roll, two cups of veggies, and a small dessert (a square of Jell-O, a scoop of ice cream, etc.). You may drink one 8 oz. glass of 2% milk per day if desired, but other than that, drink calorie-free beverages only. For an evening snack, pick something that's bulky and low in calories. I prefer reduced fat microwave popcorn. I've eaten a bag per night for over 20 years! The only hard rule is 10 to 20 grams of fat per meal, which = 400 to 800 calories per day from fat (that’s 20% to 40% of your 2,000 calorie/day diet). Eat this way and the weight will fall off of you.

3. Begin keeping a handwritten training journal. Every time you exercise, record it in your journal. If desired, record your weight and/or measurements so that you can see your progress. If you track weight, only weigh once per week. Normal daily fluctuations are morale killers. Use a spiral notebook or, if you’re planning on signing up for our distance learning program, a 3-ring binder and looseleaf paper so that your log can be easily scanned and emailed for review.

4. If desired, do a few sessions a week of entry-level calisthenics. This is optional at this stage. Watch the video on the upper left and perform exercises 1 through 12 as often as you like, even daily if you think it’s fun. Add exercises 13, 14 & 15 if/when you think you’re ready. If and when you do so, increase your reps up to a max of 20, taking care to solidify your gains for 5 days — in other words, no more than one increase in rep count per exercise per 5 days.

Need a free fitness coach to help you build a program that suits your specific needs and goals? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Martial Arts - Sixth Annual Mettlecraft Month begins next week! Last year we the challenge was to complete the constitutional called “#86” in under 20 minutes. Maybe you missed last year, and you’d like to give it a try? If so, watch the video on the right. Anyway, this year’s challenge is a long walk. I’m going to try and walk the Richmond Marathon (see info at the top of this post if you started in the middle). But if that’s too much for you, see if you can do a half marathon, or maybe you just try to double what you normally do in a given day. If you want to engage with Mettlecraft Month 2023, you have all of November to see how long a walk you can complete. Just make sure that, whatever you do, listen to your body, stop as soon as you get any discomfort, don’t get hurt, and share your endeavors in the comments. What does walking have to do with martial arts? Well, as I said in the section above (and probably 3 times per month over the last year), walking was how old-time boxers made weight and increased their endurance. It works!

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? 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 — Fall is here. PIck up a leaf and sketch it in your training journal. PIck up a leaf you can’t identify. Get out a wild plant book, identify the leaf, and sketch in your training journal. Nothing will cement that leaf’s identity and structure into your mind better than drawing it! On the left are some of the sketches from my training journal. 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 Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 10/29/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Ex 22:20-26, Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51, 1 Thes 1:5c-10, Mt 22:34-40

 

Matthew 22:34-40  World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’* 38  This is the first and great commandment. 39  A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’* 40  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

 

 

“There are two paths, one of life and one of death, and the difference is great between the two paths. Now the path of life is this—first, thou shalt love the God who made thee, thy neighbour as thyself, and all things that thou wouldest not have done unto thee, do not thou unto another.  And the doctrine of these maxims is as follows. Bless them that curse you, and pray for your enemies.  Fast on behalf of those that persecute you; for what thank is there if ye love them that love you? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  But love them that hate you, and ye will not have an enemy. Abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts.  If any one give thee a blow on thy right cheek, turn unto him the other also, and thou shalt be perfect; if any one compel thee to go a mile, go with him two; if a man take away thy cloak, give him thy coat also; if a man take from thee what is thine, ask not for it again, for neither art thou able to do so.  Give to every one that asketh of thee, and ask not again, for the Father wishes that from his own gifts there should be given to all.

My child, fly from everything that is evil, and from everything that is like to it. Thou shalt not exalt thyself, neither shalt thou put boldness into thy soul. Thy soul shall not be joined unto the lofty, but thou shalt walk with the just and humble. Accept the things that happen to thee as good, knowing that without God nothing happens. 

Seek out day by day the favor of the saints, that thou mayest rest in their words; thou shalt not desire schism, but shalt set at peace them that contend; thou shalt not abandon the commandments of the Lord, but shalt guard that which thou hast received, neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom; thou shalt confess thy transgressions in the church, and shalt not come unto prayer with an evil conscience. This is the path of life.

But the path of death is this. First of all, it is evil and full of cursing; there are found murders, adulteries, lusts, fornication, thefts, idolatries, soothsaying, sorceries, robberies, false witnessings, hypocrisies, double-mindedness, craft, pride, malice, self-will, covetousness, filthy talking, jealousy, audacity, arrogance; there are they who persecute the good—lovers of a lie, not knowing the reward of righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for the good but for the bad, from whom meekness and patience are afar off, loving things that are vain, following after recompense, having no compassion on the needy, nor laboring for him that is in trouble, not knowing him that made them, murderers of children, corrupters of the image of God, who turn away from him that is in need, who oppress him that is in trouble, unjust judges of the poor, erring in all things. From all these, children, may ye be delivered.”

 

Brothers and sisters, the words I have just shared with you are almost two thousand years old, and they are excerpted from a short book known as the Didache, which means “the teaching,” and was written in the first century after the Resurrection.  It is considered the first book of Christian teaching.  I hope you can see how it illustrates that, since the earliest days of the church, loving God and our neighbor has been the core of Christian teaching.   

 * 22:37 Deuteronomy 6:5

Reframing: Mettle Maker #377 and Holy Communion for 10/15/23

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special event for mettlecraft month in november

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

Mettle Maker #377

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 — Dealing with foot pain. Foot pain is real problem for a huge percentage of the population, especially older adults. The same inability to retain fat and muscle between delicate structures of the body that causes bony hands and turkey neck among older adults also reduces the thickness in the fatty pads of the feet. This can cause subluxation of the cuboid and other issues. Add in some cholesterol reducing drugs and whammo! sore feet. Watch the video on the left for my foot health regimen. Hopefully it’ll get me through walking the Richmond Marathon in a few weeks! BY THE WAY, you get early access to our videos here. This one won’t be available to genpop for about a week. Need a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

Martial Arts - Bracing, framing, and cramming — what are they, and why should I care? What if I told you that a single body mechanic could inform a plethora, a virtual cornucopia, of effective martial arts skills, from ultra-short-range striking to clinch work, to top saddle wrestling escapes? Well, watch the video on the right to get the skinny on bracing, framing, and cramming. DID YOU KNOW that you get early access to our videos here? This one won’t be available to genpop for about a week!

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? 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 fresh look at Bradford Angier’s 1956 classic. 67-years-old and still relevant, Bradford Angier’s How to Stay Alive in the Woods is a classic that should be on everyone’s outdoor skills bookshelf. Check out the table of contents on the left to get a feel for its scope. Used copies of this small but jam-packed favorite go for less than three bucks on Alibris, so there’s no excuse for not getting yourself a copy. I seriously doubt you’ll regret it. 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-eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 10/15/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Is 25:6-10a, Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Phil 4:12-14, 19-20, Mt 22:1-14

 

Matthew 22: 1-14  World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

 Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2  “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son, 3  and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4  Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’ 5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; 6  and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7  When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

8  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. 9  Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’ 10  Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.

11  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, 12  and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. 13  Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ 14  For many are called, but few chosen.”

 

 

"For many are called, but few are chosen."  These words reverberate to us down the two millennia since our Savior spoke them.  What is the proper interpretation?  Should we use them to think of ourselves as an elite club?  Some experts suggest that by "chosen" we should interpret "elected."  Are we "chosen" the way that certain politicians are "elected" to office?  Are we "chosen" in the same way that the best athletes are drafted onto sports teams?

To grapple with this question, we should consider first and foremost that there are only so many open seats in a government, and only so many open positions on a sports team.  To elect an official to a position is to exclude everyone else.  The same is true, let’s say, in football.  There are only so many players in the league.  Everyone else is on the sidelines.  This is the way it is with human beings and our ways.  In our games, there is always a winner and a loser.

But not so with the kingdom of God.  His realm is infinite in scope.  In John 14:2 we  hear, "In my father's house are many mansions."  God's separation of the unchosen from the chosen is not an act of exclusion or elitism because in his kingdom there is enough room for everyone.  Choosing one does not exclude another.  God sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to bring everyone to the banquet.  His love for humanity is so great, that he wants everyone to stay for the festivities.  He loves us so much, and so badly wants no one to be left out, that he gave each and every one of us the capacity to be chosen.  All we have to do is genuinely show up and participate. 

In Jesus' parable, he equates our choice to dressing appropriately for a banquet.  I'm sure you've been to events where there are people in attendance who don't even try.  The invitation says "semi-formal attire" but they show up in blue jeans and T-shirts.  Few notice or comment, not even the hosts, on a suit or a dress that’s a little out of style or a touch threadbare.  All they have to do is put in a little bit of effort.  But for these people, that’s just too much to ask.  I think that’s what Jesus is trying to get across in this parable.  We don't have to be perfect to be chosen by God -- all we have to do is sincerely try to follow him and live his ways, to genuinely attempt to give ourselves over to his saving grace.  We can't be holy as God is holy – fair enough.  But we can at least be baptized, step into the robe, and make a sincere attempt to clothe ourselves in holiness. 

In Luke 17:21 we read, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”  Inside of each of us, God has graced us with the capacity to listen to his Word, accept his teaching, and stay through the banquet to the end.  The choice is ours.   

A Higher Vantage: Mettle Maker #376 and Holy Communion for 10/8/23

Before we get into this week’s mettle maker, check out these pics from Glen Allen Day 2023. Heritage Arts’ booth was a big success. Hannah and Laura — who just earned their white bandanas in Heritage Self-Defense last week — came out and distributed hundreds of flyers and business cards to the crowd. And get a load of this — our booth was right next to Ghostbusters VA! Neat charity — they go around in costume and collect money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation (and they collect a ton too, by the way)!

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Mettle Maker #376

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 — Take the longer view. Let’s pursue the direction given by this week’s gospel reading and think a bit about taking the long view with regard to fitness. I sometimes I long for the training sessions I used to do in the old days — the white-out calisthenics, the deep-burning weightlifting sessions, the high contact sparring bouts. But then I remind myself that it’s only by a great deal of luck and a modicum of body awareness that I’m not virtually crippled at age 62. Thank goodness I never lifted the way the CrossFitters do — I never did more than 4 sets of any exercise, never did more than five exercises per session, never did multiple sets to failure in a single session, etc. — and didn’t prolong those habits any longer than it took to sense the approach of permanent damage. As for years of high contact sparring including blows to the head, only time will tell if there is dementia in my future. Don’t be the way I used to be. Take the long view now. Start training with old-school rigor and mindset. For more details that might allow you to plan your own program, read this post. But if you need a free fitness coach to help you, we’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!

This is my forging post.

Martial Arts - Forging posts, pells, and…totem poles? I have a theory. It isn’t based on any real facts, it’s just intuition, wild speculation, and supposition after a lifetime of studying martial arts, indigenous skills, mythology, and world religions. I believe that standing poles — broadly referred to as “totem poles,” which are found in virtually every culture on earth, owe their origin to forging posts and pells used in martial arts.

Pells are standing posts used for weapon practice. Hitting a pell with either live weapons, or actual-weight dummy weapons, is absolutely essential to weapon command and mastery. Here is a great article on pells, with links to even more information, from the ARMA website.

Forging posts are used to practice unarmed strikes and other techniques and to toughen the body. Forging posts are often wrapped with rope and struck with hands, arms, feet, and legs.

A couple of years ago it occurred to me that I should put a face on my forging post. So I carved one out of cedar and screwed it on (I didn’t put one on my pell because I’m not inclined to spend an hour or two carving a face only to destroy it with knives and tomahawks).

I have a hard time believing I’m the first martial artist since the dawn of modern humans 100,000 years ago to have this idea. Read the articles below, courtesy of Wikipedia, to get a feel for the what’s going on with the various types of standing wood poles. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Most of these standing poles have spiritual nuances. But if we know anything about human psychology and anthropology, the spiritual is always practical, and always its origin to necessity. It’s a virtual certainty that the poles went up for some physically functional purpose and the rituals came second. Why would you put up a pole with a face on it? To practice your fighting techniques seems like a good bet!

Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

The view from the top of Sharp Top in the Peaks of Otter

Wildwood Outdoor Skills — More on the long view. One of the first things you should do when you find yourself lost in the wilderness is get to a higher vantage point and survey your surroundings. What’s a map but a simulated view from above? Get your hands something approaching the real thing by going to the top of a high hill or rocky outcrop, or by carefully climbing a tree. From there you can spot paths or roads to lead you home, water to slake your thirst, and maybe even some game for food. Does this sound interesting? It’s actually included in this week’s homily (click here to watch and listen). 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-seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 10/8/23 – Father Mitch

Readings: Is 5:1-7, Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20, Phil 4:6-9, Mt 21:33-43

 

Matthew 21:33-43  World English Bible

 

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:

 

“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country. 34  When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruit. 35  The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36  Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them the same way. 37  But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38  But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39  So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, then killed him. 40  When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

41 They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers who will give him the fruit in its season.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected

was made the head of the corner.

This was from the Lord.

It is marvelous in our eyes’?*

43  “Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruit. 44  He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”

 

 

Survival schools teach the importance of a good vantage point.  When lost in the woods, always seek higher ground or climb a tree if you can.  From there you may scan the horizon for paths and roads to follow home, spot water sources, and see game animals.  Modern hunters use tree stands in the same way that ancient hunters sat or stood in trees with spears and bows. Soldiers also seek the high ground to see enemies approaching from miles away.  A city on a hill is more easily defended.  The high ground is always an advantage.  Having an advantage and having a good vantage point are so tightly related that they have the same root word.  

In the Garden of Eden God placed the tree of knowledge and the tree of life.  Every tree is in some way a tree of knowledge because from its branches we gain information about our surroundings.  Every tree is a tree of life because climbing its branches yields nourishment, through spotting prey and picking fruit, and safety, by providing a superior perspective.

Some details escape us because we live in a world in which our food comes from a market and our defense is provided by police and armies.  But for ancient peoples, all of this would have been glaring.  Fruit on the ground is unhealthy to eat and could be a trap laid by enemies lurking above.  A clever enemy attacks during the harvest when defenses are down and crops are gathered, ripe for the taking.  The wise climb up into the branches of the tree or to the top of the tower, to spot the best fruit, the choicest game, and ensure safety.  All of this would have stood out to the people of the past as starkly as a plume of smoke spotted from a high hill.  Adam, Eve, and the bad tenants of the landowner’s vineyard are of the same type.  These characters are shortsighted, rapacious, taking what they want today at the expense of the longer view.  All are given a garden which they fail to tend as they have been instructed by the landowner.  Lost in the woods, they’d be dead in no time. 

Isaiah and Jesus didn’t put the tower into their stories as a mere embellishment or a nice touch of color.  A man-made garden like a vineyard calls for a man-made tree.  So, in the center of the garden, the landowner builds a tower.  The vineyard is a garden which, like Eden, is made by a loving father for the benefit of those capable of appreciating its perfection.  The servants hired to tend the vineyard never bother to ascend the tower and see the majesty of the work the landowner has built for them to tend.  Adam and Eve never climbed the tree of knowledge.  They stood on the ground and seized the fruit.  Had they first climbed up to survey Eden, they would have gained the vision and patience to wait for God’s permission to eat the fruit and there would’ve been no fall. 

Friends, let us endeavor to be as wise as the ancient Semitic people whose oral stories are recorded in the book of Genesis.  Let us endeavor to spot the details of the story that the people of Jesus’ time would’ve noticed right away.  Greed, covetousness, laziness, violence, these are the low-hanging fruits of sin and death.  Attempting to see the world from God’s higher vantage point is the way to eternal life.      

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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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!

 † 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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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.

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.

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!