Ranger Beads and Standing Tall: Mettle Maker #413 and Holy Eucharist for 7/7/24

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Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

 

What’s new?

  • Our program is now called HERITAGE ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE. To understand why we’ve made this change, read this post .

  • Skin in the game is now required. The program is still free if you can’t afford a donation of $1/month — but you have to at least hang out with the crew each week or volunteer to be a social media promoter, blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea.

Mettle maker #413: Ranger beads and Standing Tall

What if a scrap of cord and a handful of beads could save your life, preserve your brain, and even improve your spiritually?

Could you track your miles walked using a cell phone app or a pedometer? Sure. I’ve done that myself. But if you don’t use your mind, you’ll lose your mind. May I suggest that you use an old-school method, one that uses brain power instead, which helps inoculate you against age-related reductions in cognitive ability (or, in the vernacular, using your head for something besides a hat rack).

And if you use this low-tech method — known as ranger beads — you’ll also have a reliable, off the grid way to know how far you walked if you have no cell phone.

Ranger beads are essentially a handheld abacus. There are 9 beads in one section and 4 in the other. Each time your left foot falls, count one full stride. Every 100 strides, move one of the 9 beads, When you get to the 10th set of 100 steps, slide the 9 beads all back to one side and advance one of the 4 beads. In this way, ranger beads will track your travels in 5 mile increments before being reset.

Keeping track of your steps can be difficult. It’s easy to lose count. There are only two ways that have ever worked for me. Method A is to offload some of the counting to your visual cortex. Imagine a digital counter in the corner of your visual field. Every ten strides, advance the visual counter by 1. When you get to 10, advance one of the 9 beads.

Method B is to recite prayers, one word per step. The Our Father and the Hail Mary, said back to back with an Amen after each, equals 112 words. In my tests, with my short legs, this method was accurate to .02 miles. This also has the added benefit of strengthening your relationship with God. And if you really are in a survivial situation, it will also give you something else you’ll desperately need: Hope. As Les Stroud says, “In a survival situation, you must exist in a constant state of HOPE if you are to make it out alive.”

For a complete overview of making and using ranger beads, watch the video above.

Interested in a totally free program that incorporates self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development? Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 7/7/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Ez 2:2-5, Ps 123:1-2, 2, 3-4, 2 Cor 12:7-10, Mk 6:1-6

 

Mark 6:1-6  World English Bible

 

1 He went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. 2 When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended at him.

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He marveled because of their unbelief.

 

 

Because my father worked 6 PM to 3 AM for my entire childhood, my parents naturally gravitated toward being night owls, and they sometimes let me stay up late too, although they almost always sent me to bed somewhat before they turned in. Back then the T.V. stations signed off at 1 AM.  The last thing that came on was the national anthem.  But right before that, the local ABC and NBC affiliates aired a segment called “Justice and the Circuit Rider” starring William R. Livermon of Cobbs Creek, VA.  Each segment began with the words, “Justice is the name of a grand old horse. Once he paced the racetracks, but now he brings a friend for a visit.  Out of the fascinating heart of nature, the circuit rider brings a simple secret in his saddlebag. Let's see what it is.”  Livermon then offered a short, but always uplifting, four-minute sermon revolving around an everyday object.  I loved it.  As a kid, I’d beg to stay up and see the Circuit Rider. 

Compare that to the evening of television I experienced a few nights ago.  This is what our culture is now comfortable putting on display 24 hours a day.  I saw previews for movies in which the heroes were hedonistic criminals.  I saw an ad for junk food followed by an ad for a weight loss drug.  I saw an ad for a drug to improve sex drive immediately followed by one to treat a sexually transmitted disease.  I saw shows with plots revolving around broken families, violence, and mental illness.  I watched a documentary about a woman who drowned her stepson out of jealousy for her new husband’s ex-wife. 

I watched a frustrated news anchor interview Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters about his new mandate to teach the Bible in schools.  Walters’ said in part, “The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone.  Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation…this is…a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.  The Bible is one of the most historically significant books, and a cornerstone of Western civilization, along with the Ten Commandments.”  His interviewer was combative and visibly upset by these facts.

Things have grown so bad that the mere mention of God causes shock and dismay.  This is what our scriptures today point toward.  When Jesus preached, people are shocked and dumbfounded.  Ultimately, Jesus’ preaching resulted in his crucifixion. Prophets cause people to react the way that news anchor did – with anger and distress.

It’s time for us to interrupt the broadcasts – the news, the shows, the social media, the classes in our schools, the movies, the books – in order to proclaim the truth.  We may not be prophets with a capital “P” like Ezekiel.  But we can be small “p” prophets.  We can speak out against consumerism, pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth.  And we can talk about God, Grace, Faith, Hope, Truth, and Love. And, as God said to Ezekiel, “whether they heed or resist, they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Riverscape: Mettle Maker #412 and Holy Eucharist for 6/30/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

 

What’s new?

  • Our program is now called HERITAGE ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE. To understand why we’ve made this change, read this post .

  • Skin in the game is now required. The program is still free if you can’t afford a donation of $1/month — but you have to at least hang out with the crew each week or volunteer to be a social media promoter, blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea.

Mettle maker #412: Riverscape

Never be afraid to skip a fitness or martial arts training session in order to do a chore or engage in an outdoor activity.  A Rough ‘n’ Tumbler cultivates a kind of strength that draws on added width, not rigidly enforced depth.

When attempting to understand, reconstruct, test, and practice Rough ‘n’ Tumble fighting methods, it’s easy to overlook the fact that modern people are an entirely different breed.  In terms of our fitness, body mechanics, skills, outlook, common sense, observational acumen, and other abilities, we have very little in common with the people who first earned the name “rough ‘n’ tumbler” in the back country of Virginia in the 18th century.

For several important reasons, we cannot use books to recapture the capabilities, skills, and knowledge they possessed.  First, people don’t write down things they take for granted.  When you journal, do you record the subtleties of how you manage your email box?   Second, even if they had recorded certain fine details in books and journals, there’s nothing you can read  let’s say, about chopping down a tree with an axe, that will magically impart the strength, endurance, and hand-eye coordination necessary to actually chop down a tree with an axe.

The skills of a waterman, for example, have been demoted to a hobby in modern life.  But in early America, being on the water was integral to survival.  The tribes of Virginia literally saw the world as a riverscape rather than a landscape, referring to rivers by the names of the tribes that controlled them.  Imagine being an English colonist and trying to understand why they kept changing the names of various rivers!  In the Western mind, rivers were often boundary lines between kingdoms.  To the native mind, the river was the center of a kingdom, not the edge.  Thus, when horses were introduced by the colonists, they took little interest.  What good was a horse on the water?  Could a horse catch fish?  Could a horse carry you deep into the heavily wooded areas west of the fall line where the biggest bucks were hiding?  To a colonist whose life centers around agriculture, the land is of paramount importance.  But when you’re an Algonquian Indian who farms for less than half the year and subsists on hunting, fishing, and gathering for the rest, your life centers around the water.

But even the colonists spent more time on the water than modern folks do.  It was impossible to get cargo to market without rivermen.  Canoes, barges, and riverboats were the only way to get products to market.  Loggers floated logs to town — wither loose, a practice known as “log driving,” or tied together to form rafts, known as “timber rafting” — which persisted until trucks, rail, and environmental legislation ended the practice.  The river was central to human existence until relatively recently.

Add to this the fact that the human body is uniquely adapted to be in, on, and under the water, and you can easily build the case that if you aren’t engaged with the river, you’re missing 50% of what it means to be a human being — and you might also be missing certain key skills and attributes that rough ‘n’ tumble fighters took for granted back in the day.

If you want to be Rough ‘n’ Tumbler, go on adventures, do chores, live life to the fullest, and allow yourself to become the product of the milieu you create.  Rough ‘n’ Tumble isn’t about learning techniques in isolation.  It’s a way of moving in the world.

Interested in a totally free program that incorporates self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development? Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 6/30/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24, Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13, 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15, Mk 5:21-43

 

Mark 5:21-43  World English Bible

 

21 When Jesus had crossed back over in the boat to the other side, a great multitude was gathered to him; and he was by the sea. 22 Behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, came; and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and begged him much, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and lay your hands on her, that she may be made healthy, and live.”

24 He went with him, and a great multitude followed him, and they pressed upon him on all sides. 25 A certain woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse, 27 having heard the things concerning Jesus, came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes. 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 His disciples said to him, “You see the multitude pressing against you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease.”

35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue ruler’s house, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?”

36 But Jesus, when he heard the message spoken, immediately said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 He came to the synagogue ruler’s house, and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing. 39 When he had entered in, he said to them, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep.”

40 They ridiculed him. But he, having put them all out, took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him, and went in where the child was lying. 41 Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha cumi!” which means, being interpreted, “Girl, I tell you, get up!” 42 Immediately the girl rose up and walked, for she was twelve years old. They were amazed with great amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.

 

 

How many of us, like the woman in the crowd, seek health and happiness far and wide, spending all our attention and energy on entertainment, seeking wealth, sexual gratification, power, and so on, but ending up spiritually poor and emotionally bereft?  The Gospel says that she, “suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse.”  How many of us, like her, go in search of health and happiness everywhere but in God, and so continue to suffer and bleed? 

  How many of us regard Jesus as just another wise teacher, no better and no worse that Buddha or Confucius?  How many of us think of him as just another self-help guru spreading witty sayings and useful advice, capable of helping us out in our day-to-day lives perhaps, but not holding the keys of life and death? How many of us, like the people who came from the synagogue ruler’s house, say, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?”

But listen carefully to Jesus’ reply.  He says, “Do not be afraid.”  Why would he say that?  What does Jairus have to be afraid of?  For starters, he has to be afraid of the ridicule of the people whom, as a ruler of the synagogue, he’s in charge of teaching and instructing.  He has to be afraid of being scorned by his fellow teachers and losing his job.  And what if he allows Jesus into his home and his daughter does not arise?  He has to be afraid of being tricked, being embarrassed, being called a fool and dupe.  But Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.  Only believe.”  Jairus pushes past all the fears.  He believes.  And his daughter is raised from the dead.

How many of us are afraid of the same things Jairus was afraid of?  How many people today are afraid to invite Jesus into their hearts and homes for fear of ridicule, embarrassment, or being thought of as fools?  How many cannot push through their fears, believe in the Resurrection, have faith in redemption, and embrace the hope of eternal life?

The twin stories of healing and resurrection in our Gospel readings today are joined together by the common thread of the number twelve – a woman who has bled for twelve years and a dead girl aged twelve years.  There are twelve hours in a day, twelve hours in a night, and twelve months in a year.  The repeated incidence of the twelve-year time period conveys the eternal, recurring nature of sickness and death.  The instant the woman began to bleed the girl was born.  Both problems share the same essential nature. 

In them we see ourselves and our human plight. 

The naysayers claim that there is no God, or that God doesn’t love us.  The cynics claim that the tragedies that befall us are random, or perhaps that God hates us.  But our reading from the Wisdom of Solomon says that death and suffering were not part of God’s plan.  They were introduced by human sin.  God is not to blame, but rather the sin of Adam and Eve. The mishaps which torment us are consequent to the fallen state of our reality, and God is attempting to enlist our cooperation in setting things right.  All he is asking of us is that we have courage and faith; that we walk home with Jesus and believe in his saving grace.  This is the Good News that we proclaim far and wide: “Talitha cumi!” Arise brothers and sisters, arise!

Stone and Storm: Mettle Maker #411 and Holy Eucharist for 6/23/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

What’s new?

  • Our program is now called HERITAGE ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE. To understand why we’ve made this change, read this post .

  • Skin in the game is now required. The program is still free if you can’t afford a donation of $1/month — but you have to at least hang out with the crew each week or volunteer to be a social media promoter, blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea.

No weekly fellowship this week — fr. mitch is on vacation!

Mettle maker #411: the Philosopher’s Stone

The Philosopher’s Stone is the mythical substance that turns lead into gold, heals any infirmity, and grants immortality. Discovering the Philosopher’s Stone was the Great Work of the alchemists, the early scientific pioneers of the Middle Ages (roughly 500 - 1500 AD). By the time settlers began arriving in the New World in the early 17th century, alchemy was no longer on the cutting age. Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, Robert Boyle, and others were ushering in the so-called Age of Genius. But alchemy had already been embedded in the popular consciousness for a thousand years, and its ideas weren’t going anywhere. They still haven’t. Alchemy is no more. It’s terminology and metaphors persist, even to the present day.

So, in the world of Rough ‘n’ Tumble, what is the Philosopher’s Stone? Out of the everyday human heart’s solution, courage, genius, and spiritual insight sometimes precipitate. What makes a man into a Boone, Crockett, Lewis, or Clark? A Henry, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, or Lafayette? A Thoreau or a Whitman?

Well, what is it that causes an oyster to make a pearl?

An annoying grain of sand.

Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble is not a free diploma mill where you can sign up, get free lessons, and magically receive a certificate to frame on the wall. What we do is ask you tough questions, get on your nerves, and challenge you to do better. Whether you are total rookie or a UFC Hall-of-Famer, we make you work.

Does that sound like your cup of tea? Then you might be interested in our totally free program that incorporates self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development. Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Normally church is live on Sundays at 10 AM EST but this week Fr. Mitch is on vacation, so it has been recorded in advance — see below.

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time 6/23/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Jb 38:1, 8-11, Ps 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31, 2 Cor 5:14-17, Mk 4:35-41

 

Mark 4:35-41  World English Bible

 

On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples:

“Let’s go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him. 37 A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled. 38 He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”

39 He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”

41 They were greatly afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

 

Brothers and sisters, this week’s readings announce the freedom that belongs to us in Christ.  Remember that: freedom.  Freedom is the gold vein that, if we follow it as it runs through all these readings, will lead us to the primary deposit of wisdom, the mother lode, shared by all three.  Not freedom as in “freedom to do whatever you want” but freedom as in “freedom from bond bondage.”

In our reading from Job, God warns us to remember who is master of the sea and the clouds.  Keeping this in mind, and being a patient and righteous man, Job receives double what he has lost when all is said and done.  And St. Paul says in our epistle reading that, “the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all, therefore, all have died.” (2 Cor 5:14).  We are dead to our old selves and reborn in Christ.  You might say that, as Job accepted God’s authority and received freedom from suffering – and an extra measure to boot – so do we receive relief from our worries, sufferings, and fears – and eternal life as well – when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and clothe ourselves in him.

In our Gospel reading, it shouldn’t be shocking to the disciples when Jesus calms the storm and delivers them safely to shore.  And yet it is.  They are filled with awe and say to one another, “Who then is this whom even the wind and sea obey?”  Perhaps that’s understandable, given that they had not yet witnessed the Resurrection.  But knowing what we know now, we have no need to doubt that Jesus, the Creator and Logos on earth, could and did still the waters.  Was it not he who, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, hovered over the face of the deep in Genesis 1:2?  Was it not he who, as it says in Job, created land, sea, and clouds?  When we are in need of freedom from the storms of life, who other than the Creator could possibly still them? 

Brothers and sisters, there will be storms, disease, tests, tragedies, horrors, fears, mishaps, and difficulties of all kinds.  And like the disciples in today’s reading, we might be tempted to ask, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”  God does care, and cares deeply, for all those who suffer in this fallen world.  But, in the fullness of time, all who trust in him will be made whole, and like Job, we will receive double.  As Jesus says in John 16:33, “In the world you will have trouble.  But take courage; I have overcome the world.” 

Fishing, Foraging, and Fitness: Mettle Maker #410 and Holy Eucharist for 6/16/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

What’s new?

  • Our program is now called HERITAGE ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE. To understand why we’ve made this change, read this post .

  • Skin in the game is now required. The program is still free if you can’t afford a donation of $1/month — but you have to at least hang out with the crew each week or volunteer to be a social media promoter, blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea.

weekly fellowship Sundays at 11:30 Am et. click here to join via google meet!

Mettle maker #410: fishing, foraging, and fitness

On Friday I took a day off work. I skipped my usual martial arts and fitness training session and spent the day installing a new mailbox, putting a new 4-pin connector bracket on my vehicle, and making some small repairs on my adventure trailer. On Saturday I skipped another training session and went fishing instead.

Never be afraid to skip a fitness or martial arts training session in order to do a chore or engage in an outdoor activity. A Rough ‘n’ Tumbler cultivates a kind of strength that draws on added width, not rigidly enforced depth.

  • Fighting skills are no good without awareness skills. Nothing builds awareness skills like engagement in the outdoors.

  • Can you defend yourself against old age? Depression, anxiety, addiction? The 7 deadly sins?

  • And what about fitness? Fit for what? The gym? Or for life?

As Mark Hatmaker pointed out in a recent blog post,

“There is often more to combat than meets the eye. It is the milieu that forms the athlete. The social environment. The vocations and avocations of the individual…[Jack Dempsey, the Missouri Mauler said] “George Copelin, Bernie told me, was not only a good fighter but had earned a reputation as one of the best ore shovelers around. This was almost enough to make me change my mind [about the fight.]” Dempsey expressed this same caution about lumberjacks. It wasn’t fight prowess that bothered him. It was being rated a good axe man or a good shoveler.

If you want to be Rough ‘n’ Tumbler, go on adventures, do chores, live life to the fullest, and allow yourself to become the product of the milieu you create. Rough ‘n’ Tumble isn’t about learning techniques in isolation. It’s a way of moving in the world.

Interested in a totally free program that incorporates self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development? Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 6/16/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Ez 17:22-24, Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16, 2 Cor 5:6-10, Mk 4:26-34

 

Mark 4:26-34  World English Bible

 

Jesus said to the crowds:

26 He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, 27  and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how. 28  For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29  But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30 He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it? 31  It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, 32  yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

 

Ezekiel references, in our Old Testament reading today, the great cedars of Lebanon.  These massive trees, in the pine family, were famous in the ancient world, and remain so today, for good reason.  They can grow to a staggering 130 feet in height, with trunks up to 8 feet in diameter, and they are among the world's longest living trees.  Without a doubt there are living cedars in Lebanon that were standing when Jesus walked the earth.  Trees are lungs of the world, taking in what we exhale, removing the carbon, and exhaling fresh oxygen.  Imagine this brothers and sisters: if those trees could talk, they might testify to the sweet breath of our Lord Jesus which they tasted for the thirty-three years he walked the earth.

In Jesus’ day, most Jews would’ve been familiar with Ezekiel’s prophecy.  We must remember that Hebrew religious tradition stressed the importance of publicly reading the scripture, and that there was, at the time, a great debate about when and where the messiah would come.  They would’ve understood Ezekiel’s prophecy to be about God restoring the kingdom of Israel to greatness.  They would’ve thought that God was going to take a cutting from the top of the mighty cedar – someone on David’s family tree – make him king and elevate him to a high place among the nations. 

 With that in mind, notice what Jesus does with Ezekiel’s metaphor.  Jesus makes it incredibly immanent, personal, and inviting.  Yes, a new shoot of the family tree of David will grow, like a mighty, noble cedar, into a great kingdom.  Jesus is of the line of David, and his Kingdom is coming, a Kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36).  But here, in the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus is inviting us participate.

What can we do?  Well, we’re not offshoots of a mighty cedar.  No, we’re not even trees!  In fact, we’re more like humble little mustard plants grown from seeds.  But we can grow to an incredible size.  Like the mustard plant in Jesus’ parable, we can provide spiritual shelter to many by participating in the Kingdom of God.  Where is it, this Kingdom?  It’s everywhere and yet nowhere.  It is within and among us (Luke 17:20-21).  It is wherever two or three are gathered in his name (Matthew 18:19-20).  It's a Kingdom where anyone can go without a donkey or shoes, without a car or a plane ticket; a Kingdom we can all participate in creating; a place where we all belong.

St. Paul sees all of this, and we do too, because, as he says in today’s reading, “we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7).  Only a physical kingdom can be seen with the eyes.  But God’s Kingdom only be seen by faith.  And so by faith we see that Ezekiel’s prophecy is fulfilled. 

For through Adam a living tree brought death to the world; but a dead tree, a cross of wood, brought life to the world through Jesus Christ. 

Mettle Maker #409 and Holy Eucharist for Sacred Heart Sunday 6/9/24

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WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP! JOIN AROUND THE CAMPFIRE!

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

What’s new?

  • Our program is now called HERITAGE ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE. To understand why we’ve made this change, read this post .

  • Skin in the game is now required. The program is still free if you can’t afford a donation of $1/month — but you have to at least hang out with the crew each week or volunteer to be a social media promoter, blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea.

weekly fellowship Sundays at 11:30 Am et. click here to join via google meet!

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The Old School Total Transformation Plan
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Mettle maker #409: Total transformation

Introducing the Old School Total Transformation Plan! Make a tax-deductible $9.99 donation to Heritage Arts, Inc. and you’ll receive this all-new, super simplified, 7-step mind-body-spirit makeover plan.

Do you look back at your grandparents and great-grandparents and wonder how they won the wars they won, built the things they built, wrote the books and songs they wrote, invented the things they invented, and managed to achieve all the incredible things they achieved? Well here are the 7 secrets to their success.

All you’ll need is the gumption to stick to this solo, self-directed plan. And if you do, before long you won’t recognize the person you see in the mirror. Just 2,800 words — that’s about 5 pages! — but packed with everything you need to do a total 180-degree turn inside and out.

Want more? Interested in a totally free program that incorporates self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development? Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sunday 6/9/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9, Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6., Eph 3:8-12, 14-19, Jn 19:31-37

 

John 19:31-37  World English Bible

 

31 Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 Therefore the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him; 33 but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs. 34 However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe. 36 For these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone of him will not be broken.”* 37 Again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they pierced.”*

 

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia,

“Devotion to the Sacred Heart is but a special form of devotion to Jesus…The word heart awakens, first of all, the idea of a material heart, of the vital organ that throbs within our bosom, and which we vaguely realize as intimately connected not only with our own physical, but with our emotional and moral life. Now this heart of flesh is currently accepted as the emblem of the emotion and moral life with which we associate it, and hence the place assigned to the word heart in symbolic language, as also the use of the same word to designate those things symbolized by the heart… It is this symbolism that imparts to its meaning and its unity, and this symbolism is admirably completed by the representation of the Heart as wounded. Since the Heart of Jesus appears to us as the sensible sign of His love, the visible wound in the Heart will naturally recall the invisible wound of this love...[The] Heart of Flesh toward which the worship is directed in order to read therein the love of Jesus, is the Heart of Jesus, the real, living Heart that, in all truth, may be said to have loved and suffered; the Heart that, as we feel ourselves, had such a share in His emotional and moral life; the Heart that, as we know from a knowledge, however rudimentary, of the operations of our human life, had such a part in the operations of the Master's life.”¹

 

The honor and devotion of this Solemnity points toward the love of Jesus for mankind as a Man, the love he has for us as God, and the Love he has for us as God made Man, the love of the Incarnate Word.

On December 11, 1925, Pope Pius XI promulgated the encyclical letter entitled Quas Primas.  In this letter, he instituted the Feast of the Christ the King and ordained the dedication of all mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as previously commanded by his predecessor Pope Pius X.  The prayer ordained to be said is as follows:

 

Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thine altar. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but to be more surely united to Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates ourselves today to Thy Most Sacred Heart.

Many indeed have never known Thee; Many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful children, who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children, who have abandoned Thee; Grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.

Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism, and refuse not to draw them into the light and kingdom of God. Turn Thine eyes of mercy towards the children of the race, once Thy chosen people: of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Savior; may it now descend upon them a laver of redemption and of life.

Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound  from pole to pole with one cry; praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; To it be glory and honor forever. R. Amen.

 

 

* 19:36 Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalms 34:20

* 19:37 Zechariah 12:10

 

¹ Bainvel, Jean. "Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm>

‡ 28:19 TR and NU add “therefore”

The Boundless Feather Quest: Mettle Maker #408 and Holy Eucharist for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 6/2/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

What’s new?

  • Our program is now called HERITAGE ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE. To understand why we’ve made this change, read this post .

  • Skin in the game is now required. The program is still free if you can’t afford a donation of $1/month — but you have to at least hang out with the crew each week or volunteer to be a social media promoter, blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea.

weekly fellowship Sundays at 11:30 Am et. click here to join via google meet!

The hawk feather I found while feather-questing. Note: It’s illegal to possess bird feathers in the United States. Take pictures instead!

Mettle maker #408: The Boundless Feather Quest

Put a gallon of water and a snack in your backpack and go for a hike. Don’t come home until you find a feather. You can only call it quits if you reach your physical limits, nightfall comes, or you have to fulfill an obligation. If you have to head home before you find one, take up the quest again the next day — and every day thereafter, rain or shine! — until you find a feather. Hear are just a few of the things you stand to learn from this exercise:.

  • Sink-or-swim skills. If you have a short attention span, poor observation skills, and/or you know nothing about the the habits of birds in your local area, it’s going to be long day (or maybe even several long weeks). But there ain’t no school like the school of hard knocks. By the time your quest is over, you’ll be better at all three.

  • Comfort with uncertainty. Open-ended challenges are far more taxing mentally than ones that are bounded. Learn to get comfortable with not knowing.

  • Patience. No matter how long the quest takes, maintain an equanimous disposition. There is a huge life lesson in this. Being grumpy and frustrated are not going to help you find a feather.

  • Nature appreciation. You’ll get more comfortable being outside and gain an appreciation for the illusiveness of birds

Note: The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This protects wild birds by preventing their killing by collectors and the commercial trade in their feathers, and extends to all feathers, regardless of how they were obtained. There is no exemption for molted feathers or those taken from road- or window-killed birds. More information on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the list of MBTA-protected species can be found here.

Take a picture instead. To identify a feather you found visit use the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Feather Identification Tool.

Interested in a totally free program that incorporates self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development? Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Sunday 6/2/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Ex 24:3-8, Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18, Heb 9:11-15, Lauda Sion, Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

 

Mark 14:12-16, 22-26  World English Bible

 

12 On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare that you may eat the Passover?”

13 He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and there a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him, 14  and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ 15  He will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Get ready for us there.”

16 His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found things as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

22 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had blessed it, he broke it and gave to them, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body.”

23 He took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them. They all drank of it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many. 25  Most certainly I tell you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in God’s Kingdom.” 26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

 

To find a place for the Passover meal, Jesus instructs his disciples to look for something very unusual – for a man carrying a jar of water.  Why is this so unusual?  Because, in those days, in that culture, the carrying and serving of water was the work of women or slaves.  Jesus tells them to follow the slave to the house he serves and ask the master of the house where the guest room is so that they can break bread.

Make no mistake.  This little event is a spiritual earthquake.  In geology, when the earth’s plates shift, land masses move.  And as the centuries wear on, mountains are heaved up from the sea, valleys open up, and volcanoes erupt.  That is what is happening here, but on a spiritual plane.

When Caesar entered his city, returning after a successful war campaign, his spoils entered before him – slaves, treasure, exotic animals, and so on – followed by his soldiers, and finally, the emperor himself.  Caesar rides in his chariot at the rear, pushing as it were, everything ahead of him.  But in this narrative, the slave is not a possession that is pushed, but a guide who is followed.  This slave is not pitiable – no, no, no! – but enviable!  What an honor to have been a servant in the house where the Last Supper was held!  Perhaps he even brought the gifts to the table and placed them there for Jesus and the twelve.  Perhaps the slave’s jar of water was even used to water the wine at table, a common practice of the day that we honor during our service to this day.  This is a social avalanche unfolding in real time.  But that’s not all it is, not by a long shot.

That symbol of the earthenware jar of water reminds us of so much.  We might consider that, since our bodies are made up of 2/3 water and 1/3 essential elements, we are essentially jars of water.  We might see that, as Christian slaves of Christ, our job of service is to carry the Baptismal waters to the unbaptized.  We might recall the Samaritan woman gather water at the well to whom Jesus offers a spring of living water welling into eternal life (John 4). 

Such a rich symbol!  But that’s not all it is.  All religions have symbols.  That’s not unique.  No, what is so shocking and miraculous here is that this is a real person, carrying real water, who fulfills a prophecy in time.  Jesus says they will find this slave carrying a jar of water and that he will lead them to their destination.  And it happens as Jesus predicted.

There are many symbolic tales and alleged prophets, many sacred books, and symbolic meals.  They’re ten for a penny.  You can buy them by the pound. But this?  This is something entirely different.  This is a symbol that is real, a prophecy that comes true, a mythic story that reads like a fairy tale but which happens in reality, documented by eyewitness account.

This slave carrying a jar of water is the foreshock that warns of the coming quake – the first pebble thrown up in a spiritual upheaval, that finally erupts at the point when the bread is broken and the wine is poured.  Because when the symbol becomes real, and the bread and wine become the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the spiritual landscape is forever changed.  This is no mere fact of history which we commemorate, but a living, participatory event which, in the Eucharist service, happens over and over again in the here and now. 

‡ 28:19 TR and NU add “therefore”

Memorials, Mulberries, and Milestones: Mettle Maker #407 and Holy Eucharist for Trinity Sunday 5/26/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

What’s new?

All three of our original programs are now unified under the name Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. In order to understand why we’ve made this change, you need to know a little bit of the history. Read this post for more details. Skin in the game is now required. All of our programs are still free. But if you can afford it, we now ask for a donation of at least $1/month. Those who can’t are required to volunteer to do something. You can be a social media promoter, a blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea. At the very least you should attend weekly fellowship and hang out

weekly fellowship Sundays at 11:30 Am et. click here to join via google meet!

Mettle maker #407: Memorials, mulberries, and milestones (and a freebie)

MEMORIALS. Monday is Memorial Day. Please take a moment to pay your respects to your fallen loved ones. Pray for them during church on Sunday. Put photos of them on the dining room table. Honor them. The folks who came before us made the world we get to live in.

MULBERRIES. New video on foraging mulberries will be live on Monday at 9:30 AM ET — see link on the right — check it out!

MILESTONES. 4/24 was the 11th anniversary of the weekly Mettle Maker. And this year is the 15th anniversary of the founding of Heritage Arts! Although we didn’t incorporate until 2/9/17, we started the original club that morphed into Heritage Arts on 2/7/09. Pretty cool huh?

FREEBIE. FREE ebook download for Heritage followers only! Coupon code "UD74U" good until 6/1/24... https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1567495

Interested in a totally free program that incorporates self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development? Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Sunday 5/26/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Dt 4:32-34, 39-40, Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22, Rom 8:14-17, Mt 28:16-20

 

Matthew 28:16-20  World English Bible

 

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

 

When we go underwater, the sensory receptors in our face trigger a body, mind, and spirit impulse called "the diver's reflex."  It's automatic, like a knee jerk.  Respiration and heart rate slow so we can hold our breath longer.  Anxiety decreases. We get more relaxed.  That’s why splashing water on your face is a great home remedy for calming nerves, why your grandma made you wash your face at bedtime, and why sick people are soothed by a cool washcloth on the face.  There’s something very curious going on with human beings and our relationship with water.

Even if we haven’t literally been thrown off a pier, we all understand the idea of "sink or swim.”  We've all stepped into a new job or role, or into an unfamiliar circumstance, and we’ve had to figure it out as we went.  It's difficult, a little unfair and, in the case of an actual lake, dangerous and inhumane. But still, we all get it.  We recognize that there’s nothing quite like the school of hard knocks. 

In the Book of Exodus the Hebrews survived the attack of the Egyptians by entering the Red Sea  – which Moses parted for them by the power of God – but they emerged completely dry.  And what happened?  They forgot.  Moses reminded them, like he does in today's reading from Deuteronomy, again and again, but the Hebrews always forgot God’s miracles and gifts.  While Moses was away, the people made a golden calf and worshipped it.  Maybe a “sink or swim” experience would’ve taught them better.  I’ll say it again.  There’s something miraculous going on with that water.  We just can't seem to learn to swim without getting wet. 

Humans are unique in that no other creature can consciously its control breathing.  With animals, breathing is completely automatic, and dependent on the activity in which they're engaged.  Our noses are designed to prevent water from going inside when we dive in.  Our sleek skin makes cutting through the water a breeze.  Why?  What on earth is going on here?  What is our connection to water?  What is it about getting wet that cuts to the heart of being human?

Instead of God continuing to part the troubled waters of life for us, allowing us to get through dry like the Hebrews got through the Red Sea, Jesus came to earth and said that watching, hearing, reading scriptures, and following the laws of the Torah was no longer enough.  God decided that the way forward for us was the waters of baptism.

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus and the disciples go to the same mountain where the people forgot what Moses taught them.  And some of the disciples doubted, just like some of the Hebrews doubted Moses.  So Jesus, the Author of Life, knowing that getting immersed in water is going to have a huge effect on them inside and out, issues a baptismal command to them -- and to us.

Friends, Jesus knows that we come out of that baptismal water feeling refreshed and calm.  And that's a real, actual, physical response that, when combined with the spiritual part, we carry in our hearts forever.  Jesus knows that nobody can make us forget our baptisms, the vows we took, and how we felt.  Because we didn’t stay dry.  We stepped into the water.  We got wet.  And that experience stays with us forever.

Jesus has established a renewed covenant, and to accept it, we need to get wet.  We need to get immersed.  We need to sink or swim.  We need to get engaged in the Christian life. We need to be baptized, and to baptize others, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 

‡ 28:19 TR and NU add “therefore”

Involution, Fire, and Truth: Mettle Maker #406 and Holy Eucharist for Pentecost 5/19/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

What’s new?

All three of our original programs are now unified under the name Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. In order to understand why we’ve made this change, you need to know a little bit of the history. Read this post for more details. Skin in the game is now required. All of our programs are still free. But if you can afford it, we now ask for a donation of at least $1/month. Those who can’t are required to volunteer to do something. You can be a social media promoter, a blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea. At the very least you should attend weekly fellowship and hang out

“In`vo*lu”tion , n. [L. involutio: cf. F. involution. See Involve.]
1. The act of involving or infolding.
2. The state of being entangled or involved; complication; entanglement.

”
— Webster’s Dictionary 1913

weekly fellowship Sundays at 11:30 Am et. click here to join via google meet!

Mettle maker #406: A Walking Stick Hike Training Involution

Evolution is the process of growth or development by which something is improved in quality or elevated to a higher state of being.  Involution, on the other hand, is the act or process of becoming more engaged in, or involved with, an existing state.  In Rough ‘n’ Tumble terminology, a training involution is a routine that combines a variety of Rough ‘n’ Tumble skills and exercises into a single cohesive and embodied training session.  Rather than teaching new skills, a training involution seeks to embed and enact existing ones.

Select a weighted backpack appropriate to your size, age, and fitness level, take your cane, head out for a walk (flat terrain) or hike (hilly or mountainous terrain).  Nowadays this old man uses a 15-pound pack and goes 3 – 5 miles on moderately hilly terrain. Anything more than that strays from training territory into more strenuous fitness test difficulty. 

At about the halfway point, find a woodland clearing or quiet corner of the suburban park or urban oasis and, without taking off your backpack, stop and complete 25 weighted Squats and 25 weighted Push-ups.  Be sure to observe proper form and pace.  When doing Push-ups, arms must be perpendicular to the ground, back must be straight, and full range of motion must be observed.  When squatting, feet should be exactly a shoulder’s width apart with toes pointing slightly outward at about 15 degrees.  At the bottom of each repetition, thighs must be parallel to the ground.  At the top, knees must be locked.  As to pace on both, explode up as fast as possible; hesitate for a split second; slowly descend for 3 seconds; hesitate at the bottom for a split second; repeat.  The hesitation is essential  because it removes all bounce.  25 repetitions of should take no less than 2 minutes.

Modify exercises as needed to insure completion:

 

  • If you can’t do 25 Push-ups at a go, do them in sets with rest between.

  • If you can’t do 1 weighted Push-up, do them on knees in sets.

  • If you can’t do them on knees, do 2 minutes of Planks with as little rest as possible.

  • If you have similar difficulties with the weighted Squats, make similar modifications as indicated above.

 When these calisthenics are done, complete the Wheel Mettle Drill (all 200 strikes).  Then complete the trip home.

Want more? Sign up for our free Rough ‘n’ Tumble Distance Learning Program!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for Pentecost, Sunday, 5/19/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Acts 2:1-11, Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34, Gal 5:16-25, Sequence

“Veni, Sancte Spiritus”, Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15

 

John 15:26-27; 16:12-15  World English Bible

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

26  “When the Counselor† has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me. 27  You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

12  “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13  However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. 14  He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you. 15  All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes‡ of mine and will declare it to you.”

 

 

In the late 6th century, controversy started to swirl around the Christian conception of the Holy Ghost.  The word Filioque, which means "and the Son,” began to be used by some Latin-speaking churches to describe the procession of the Holy Ghost.  Where once the Holy Ghost had been said to proceed “from the Father” they began to say “from the Father and the Son.” Exactly what caused the addition is hard to pin down, since it had been included by neither the Council of Nicaea, nor that of Constantinople hundreds of years before.

The Eastern church objected.  The controversy came to a head and contributed to the Great Schism of 1054 which split the church into the Greek and the Latin.  The two sides hold mostly the same positions now that they did then.  To put it simply, Orthodox theologians conceive of the Holy Ghost as proceeding from the Father, received by the Son, and passed on to us.  Described as “monoprocessionism,” they stress the foundational nature of God the Father.  The Catholic position, referred to as “filioquism,” teaches that the Holy Ghost exists as a consequence of divine self-consciousness.  That is to say, the Holy Ghost is the spirit of divine love, which arises out of the love of the Father for the Son, and love of the Son for the Father. Thus the Holy Ghost necessarily proceeds from both the Father and the Son.

Today’s Gospel reading is one of the passages at the center of this 1,500 year-old argument.  In it, Jesus clearly says that he is sending the Holy Ghost to us “from the Father.”  But then Jesus adds that the Holy Ghost will not speak its own words, but only his words – the words of the Son.  The Holy Ghost seems to be a kind of ambassador, sent by the Father to be a communicator between us and his Son.  It’s easy to see, isn’t it, why this passage has been used by both East and West to support their respective positions?

Now, I’m not going to claim that I can solve the argument. But I do have a “forest for the trees” insight that might be valuable to the average Christian.  Jesus says, “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.”  “Bear” in this sense means something too difficult to carry.  Perhaps one of the things Jesus wants to explain to us is the nature of the Holy Ghost.  But perhaps he can’t, because we’re just not intellectually and spiritually able to understand right now.  Maybe we don’t have to worry about putting too fine a point on the nature of the Holy Ghost because, as Jesus says in our reading today, the Holy Ghost will guide us “into all truth.” 

May I suggest that we should focus on doing the work of the spirit – being in Christ and with Christ in our thoughts, desires, actions, and beliefs – trusting that the Holy Ghost will guide us in truth?  In truth.  Soaking in it.  Steeped in it.  Living in it. 

Truth is more than facts.  Think of “true” in a more tropical, grand, and all-encompassing way – in the same way that we might say, “true love,” “true to a promise.” or “true” as in faithful and loyal.  Jesus was a carpenter, wasn’t he?  “True” also means straight, well fitted, properly constructed, like a house to live in.  Perhaps we should consider that we have our hands far too full trying to be “true” to God and Christ to quibble over particulars that are far beyond our present level of comprehension.

This Pentecost, let us join together to be filled up by the Holy Ghost, rather than spending another moment arguing about its nature.

† 15:26 Greek Parakletos: Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, and Comforter.

 ‡ 16:15 TR reads “will take” instead of “takes”

Restriction, Skin in the Game, and New Synergies: Mettle Maker #405 and Holy Eucharist for the Ascension of the Lord 5/12/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Mettle maker #405: Big Changes! What’s new?

  1. All three of our original programs are now unified under the name Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. In order to understand why we’ve made this change, you need to know a little bit of the history. Read last week’s post for more details.

  2. Skin in the game is now required. All of our programs are still free. But if you can afford it, we now require a donation of at least $1/month. If you can’t afford it, you have to volunteer to do something. You can be a social media promoter, a blogger, researcher, newsletter editor, fundraiser, mentor, artist, or even come up with your own idea. At the very least you should attend weekly fellowship and hang out (see link in the description of each week’s Holy Eucharist LIVE service below).

  3. The weekly Mettle Maker will morph a little. You’re going to start to see posts that blend the various aspects of the programs in a way that’s more challenging and synergistic. Sounds so much cooler when you use buzz words, right? Seriously though — the way we’ve been presenting things has accentuated the separateness of martial arts, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development rather than their interrelatedness. Time to change that.

  4. Want to be a Rough ‘n’ Tumbler? You need to practice self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development the way the old-timers did.

And that’s why we’ve rolled everything into one program called Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble.

New video releases on Monday!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Sunday, 5/12/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Acts 1:1-11, Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9, Eph 4:1-13, Mk 16:15-20

 

Mark 16:15-20 World English Bible

 

Jesus spoke to his disciples.

 

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation. 16  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. 17  These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; 18  they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19 So then the Lord,† after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 They went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.

 

 

Most experts believe that the Gospel of Mark, as recorded by its original author, ends at Mark 8, and certainly the oldest Greek manuscripts do end there.  But by sheer volume, the vast majority of manuscripts contain verses 9 - 20, as do most Bibles since the Council of Trent ruled on the canon (although some place these verses in brackets).  What’s the answer?  Well, the simplified version of the argument in Catholic Encyclopedia entry on the topic runs to a staggering 10,000 words -- over 40 pages! – and we’re not Bible experts.¹  We’re not sorting this out here today.  We’re just simple believers.  So let us ask ourselves, "What is the average Christian to think and believe regarding Mark 16:9-20?"

To be sure, these are unpopular verses with those who look at them with modern eyes skeptical of demons, snake handling, and speaking in tongues.  While I believe that the works described within them were literally performed at that time, and do sometimes happen today, many do not.  Perhaps God knew our dispositions would change over time.  Perhaps, knowing that some would be skeptical, he allowed two viable versions to persist, one for the skeptics and one for the non-skeptics. 

Or perhaps, as Christians assuming that the Holy Bible is a sacred document, we should suppose that the text, to at least some degree, has been delivered into our hands by God.  And having received these verses, perhaps we should feel charged to contend with them, to interpret them, to allow them to work in us, to change us, and to form us. 

To those who are skeptical about the literal truth of the miraculous gifts described in these verses, I would like to point out that Jesus Christ's Universal Church has done a great job, in a metaphorical sense, of doing all the things described.  We Christians have driven out many demons – the bad ideas and bad behaviors of the ancient world, such as slavery, infanticide, and polygamy – pushed them out of the mainstream and into the realm of taboo. 

We have handled the deadly snakes – evildoers of all kinds, liars, betrayers, and enemies of God's message and his children’s wellbeing, both within and without his church – and we have not died. We have in fact grown our numbers, our influence, and our good works. And we have mastered speaking in tongues, translating God's Word into every known language worldwide. 

And although we've been tempted upon occasion to drink from this fallen world's poisoned well – its media, entertainment, and negative influences – by God's grace we have not been struck down.  And somehow we humble members of Christ’s church have managed to lay our hands on the sick -- onto those who walk in the darkness of unbelief -- so that they might be healed of their blindness and see. 

Let us all give thanks for God's saving grace and for a continuation of our Lord’s healing gifts which we have received.  But more than that, let’s accept the truth of these miraculous gifts and take them out into the world.  Let’s use them spread them far and wide, so that even more of God’s children may be spared from the sickness of sin and delivered from the disease of separation from God.

† 16:8 TR adds “quickly”

¹ https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09674b.htm


What is Rough and Tumble? Mettle Maker #404 and Holy Eucharist for 5/5/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Announcements!

All three of our original programs are now unified under the name Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. Now, when you enroll, you can split your practice time any way you want between self-defense, fitness, and outdoor skills, and spiritual development. Focus on one or two, split your attention evenly, whatever you want! This maintains individual freedom and ensures that we all progress together as a unified group!

Sunday worship Service is now called Holy Eucharist instead of Holy Communion. Why? Because back when Fr. Mitch was a deacon, he was only able to present Holy Communion of the Reserved Sacrament (using pre-consecrated hosts provided by his bishop). But now that he’s been elevated to the priesthood, Fr. Mitch is able to perform a more traditional Holy Eucharist service.

What is Rough and Tumble?

Again, all of our programs — self-defense, fitness, and outdoor skills — are now unified under the rubric of Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. In order to understand why we’ve made this change, you need to know a little bit of the history.

ROUGH ‘N’ TUMBLE

Rough ‘n’ Tumble, as a fighting method, is hard to tease apart from it’s historical environment.

Rough ‘n’ Tumble was a manner of no-holds-barred fighting that originated in the Southern Virginia backcountry during the Colonial Era.  An amalgam of the varying techniques brought to America by colonists from all over the world, blended with the fighting methods of the over 900 distinct indigenous tribes, American Rough ‘n’ Tumble is perhaps the world’s most fearsome martial art.  Many of the old techniques were no doubt lost, but many also found their way into boxing, wrestling, and the mayhem-managing methods used by mobsters, policemen, soldiers, and citizens.  Although it was never formally codified, Rough ‘n’ Tumble used to be a household word, and dedicated martial artists and researchers, like Mark Hatmaker and myself, are diligently laboring to bring together the various sources and make it so once more. 

If I had to boil it down to one sentence, what makes Rough and Tumble different from other martial arts is that strikes are grabs, grabs are locks, and locks are strikes -- all are one.   Yes, all are one in more ways than one. You see, what we’re realizing more and more is that Rough ‘n’ Tumble, as a fighting method, is hard to tease apart from its historical environment. It’s hard to fight like an old-timer if you think like a modern person. And it’s hard to step into the old-time mindset without immersing yourself in that world.

It boils down to this:

  • BODY MECHANICS. Old-timers moved differently because they worked and lived differently. They rode horses, mucked stalls, carried buckets, swung hammers, axes, and sledges, and so on. Daily life profoundly affected their body mechanics.

  • FITNESS. Their definition of fitness was different because they got plenty of exercise from the way they worked. Fitness in those days wasn’t about musclebuilding. It was about maintenance and restoration of health in body and mind.

  • SELF-DEFENSE. The times they lived in were more violent and warlike, which meant that the way they fought was far less sportive. Even when they fought for “sportive reasons” it was less about money and fame, and more about settling disputes in a lawless country or advancing within the hierarchies of various groups, like miners, loggers, military services, and so on.

  • ACCOUNTABILITY. The day-to-day survival of a rough ‘n’ tumbler was dependent on his knowledge of, and attention to, the world around him. There were no early warning systems for attacks by invading armies, tornadoes or floods, not even a simple weather forecast. There were no phones, no 911 operators, no first-responders, and no emergency rooms. There were no supermarkets or big box stores. If a crop failed or a disease claimed domestic animals, hunting and gathering ensued. There was no social safety net beyond family and church, no insurance for health, life, or even home. Old-timers lived or died by their own senses and wits. They were fully embodied, engaged, and accountable in ways that we can scarcely imagine.

If you want to be like the old-timers, you need to practice self-defense, fitness, outdoor skills, and spiritual development the way the old-timers did.


And that’s why we’ve rolled everything into one program called Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble.

For more info on the fighting aspects of Rough and Tumble:

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for Sunday, 4/21/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Acts 4:8-12, Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29, 1 Jn 3:1-2, Jn 10:11-18

 

John 10:11-18 World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

“I am the good shepherd.* The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12  He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. 13  The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care for the sheep. 14  I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; 15  even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16  I have other sheep which are not of this fold.* I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. 17  Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, * that I may take it again. 18  No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

 

 

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep.”  Steeped as we are in Christianity and its values, this is easy to hear in a certain familiar way.  Jesus is Lord, his church is his flock, we follow his lead and obey his commandments, he leads us good pasture which is eternal life, and so on.  This is familiar ground for us.  But we must not let this become so familiar that it gets boring.  We cannot afford to nod off.  We can’t snooze on this point.

Jesus’ words were very scandalous at the time.  There’s a reason why, immediately following this, in Verse19, we read,

 

“[A] division arose again among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”

 

Why were these words, so tame to our Christian ears, so inflammatory?  Because the theme of the shepherd king is as old as the Hebrews’ most revered prophets, and Jesus is invoking their ancient words of criticism.

 

Jeremiah scolded the kings of Israel for their abuses, proclaiming,

 

“Behold, the days come,” says the LORD,

“that I will raise to David a righteous Branch;

and he will reign as king and deal wisely,

and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In his days Judah will be saved,

and Israel will dwell safely.

This is his name by which he will be called:

The LORD our righteousness. (Jer 23:5-6)

 

And Ezekiel picked up the same theme, saying,

 

11 “ ‘For the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so I will seek out my sheep. I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. (Ezekiel 34:11-13)

 

Yes, Jesus’ words angered the leaders of his day because he echoed accusations they had heard many times, from the mouths of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and also Zechariah, to whom the Lord said,

 

“Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword will strike his arm and his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blinded!” (Zecharaiah 11:17).

 

We need to hear the words of Jesus right now, just as the Jews heard them then.  Because merely human shepherds of all kinds – religious leaders, political leaders, social, community, and educational leaders – are always waxing and waning.  Some openly work evil.  Some do great things for a time and then lose their way.  Ultimately, all fall short of the glory of God. 

But God is eternal.  He will not fail us.  And this, brothers and sisters, is the thing that Jesus implied that most angered the leaders of his day.  This is the fact we take for granted that was so scandalous at the time: that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.  That Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth to gather together his flock from all the peoples of the earth – who laid down his life for his sheep, and then took it up again, rising from the dead.

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

*10:11 Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-12,15,22

 *10:16 Isaiah 56:8

 *10:17 Isaiah 53:7-8

A 99-Cent DIY, Dead Nettle, Six CNLs, and Foot Washing Facts: Mettle Maker #403 and Holy Eucharist for 4/28/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”

Announcements!

You may have noticed some changes. First, Heritage Self-Defense is now Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. We feel like this more accurately reflects what we do. Second, our Sunday worship Service is now called Holy Eucharist instead of Holy Communion. Why? Because back when Fr. Mitch was a deacon, he was only able to present Holy Communion of the Reserved Sacrament (using pre-consecrated hosts provided by his bishop). But now that he’s been elevated to the priesthood, Fr. Mitch is able to perform a more traditional Holy Eucharist service.

Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble: Solo training training on the cheap: the 99¢ DIY training arm. Get yourself a pool noodle from the discount store and tape on a bungee cord just long enough to reach around your heavy bag or floor bag. Snap it on and voilà! Does it resist like a real person? Nope. But you you can practice your technique and your body mechanics.

Things You Can Do With Your 99¢ DIY Training Arm

  1. Use it as a slip stick

  2. Practice your grappling maneuvers

    • Outside Wristlock, Top Wristlock, 2-on-1 Russian, Gooseneck, Muffle, Double Wristlock, Whizzer, Master Lock, etc. to infinity

  3. Practice your wrestling holds

    • Top Wristlock, Muffle, Double Wristlock, Shark Fin, Bicep Slicer, Figure 4 Arm Scissors, etc. to infinity

Ultimately though, you can’t learn to fight by training solo. You need training partners! Looking for a 100% free mind-body-spirit martial arts program and some help starting a club in your home town? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

SIX AWESOME CONSTITUTIONALS - CLICK HERE!

Heritage Fitness: Last week we reminded you that we’ve been doing constitutionals since 2009, 15 years strong, and we still think they’re the twice/week prescription for foundational fitness. Here are six of our favorites — click the pic on the right!

Don’t know these exercises? Sounds like you need a fitness coach! Hmm..I wonder who could help you with that?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot!

Want a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: Spring edible: Lamium purpureum a.k.a. Purple Deadnettle. Great in salads or as a cooked vegetable — and available virtually everywhere for free! You know what else is free? The Heritage Wildwood distance learning program! Click here to sign up!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for Sunday, 4/28/24 – Father Mitch

Readings: Acts 9:26-31, Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32, 1 Jn 3:18-24, Jn 15:1-8

 

John 15:1-8 World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

1  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. 2  Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3  You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4  Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. 5  I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6  If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7  If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

8  “In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.

 

Jesus says, "You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you." (John 15:8).  To what word is Jesus referring when he says, “the word I spoke to you”?  Since at least 1582, the year of the revision of the Douay-Rheims Bible, it has been believed that Jesus is referring to John 13:10, "Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”

This is all rather confusing until we think of what it was like to bathe in Jesus' day.  For us, bathing involves going to the bathroom, washing up, and toweling off.  Why would someone who has bathed need to have his feet washed?  But in Jesus' day, there was no indoor plumbing.  For thousands of years, a full bath was something that might be undertaken once a week or even once a month.  After bathing, either in a public bath or in a body of water, it was necessary to walk home in your sandals.  No matter how clean you were, there was always a little dirt on your feet that you’d need to clean off, if not when you got home, certainly before climbing into bed for the night.

This is an analogy for what happens after baptism.  We wash away our sins, accept Jesus Christ, and emerge clean from the bath.  But as we walk through the world as missionaries, evangelizing, serving, giving of ourselves, trying to be Christ-like, we encounter negativity, obstructions, and pushback.  Anger and discord are everywhere.  Just trying to find news and entertainment that’s not filled with immoral messaging is a struggle.  And this fallen world sometimes forces difficult choices.  It’s hard to observe the sabbath, for example, when the rest of the culture wants to treat Sunday like any other day off work.  A dusty film of accumulates on our feet as we walk about in this fallen culture, working, shopping, playing, and so on.

In Matthew 10:14, Jesus says to his apostles, Whoever doesn’t receive you or hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.” We have to let go of the accumulated grime and negativity, to repent of our mistakes and be forgiven.  We need to gather with our brothers and sisters and wash each other’s feet.  In John 13:14, he says, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is equating the pruning with the washing.  That’s why in today’s reading he says, “You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”  At the end of the day, our brothers and sisters in the church wash us clean, renew our cleanliness, and strengthen our faith.  Our clergy and our friends in the faith trim away the dead wood to keep us healthy and strong. 

More and more people in the world today believe that they can go it alone.  They turn toward private expressions of faith or lack thereof.  How often have you heard someone say something like, “I’m a spiritual person, I’m just not into organized religion”?  According to experts, the self-improvement market in the U.S. is worth over $13 billion, “fueled by growth in personal coaching services, self-help books and audiobooks, and self-help apps.”¹

But Christianity stands opposed to the idea in every way.  Our most sacred ritual, the Holy Eucharist, is an act of communion.  We are charged to come together.  To wash each other’s feet.  To prune away the dead wood.  To renew one another in Christ Jesus.

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

¹ https://blog.marketresearch.com/self-improvement-market-recovers-from-the-pandemic-worth-13.4-billion-in-the-u.s

11 Subs, Ground Mobility, and a Moon Quiz: Mettle Maker #402 and Holy Eucharist for 4/21/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

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

Announcements!

You may have noticed some changes. First, Heritage Self-Defense is now Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. We feel like this more accurately reflects what we do. Second, our Sunday worship Service is now called Holy Eucharist instead of Holy Communion. Why? Because back when Fr. Mitch was a deacon, he was only able to present Holy Communion of the Reserved Sacrament (using pre-consecrated hosts provided by his bishop). But now that he’s been elevated to the priesthood, Fr. Mitch is able to perform a more traditional Holy Eucharist service.

Apologies from Fr. Mitch for the livestream crash of Holy Eucharist last week morning — technical difficulties — we’ll do better going forward.

Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble: Get your submissions straight. For the last month or so we’ve been working on your “get on top IQ.” Now we’re going to focus on building a solid vocabulary of submission hooks — starting with the 11 moves in the video on the left. Should you watch the video? Sure! But you should also practice them with a friend and/or on a some kind of human analog. What would be a good human analog? Stay tuned — a video will be coming out next week containing DIY instructions for a $5 training option that will blow your mind!

Looking for a 100% free mind-body-spirit martial arts program? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: Constitutionals — we’ve been doing them since 2009, 15 years strong, and they’re still the twice/week prescription for foundational fitness. Twice a week, come hell or high water, knock out a constitutional (“CNL”). You won’t regret it — I promise. What’s a CNL? 7 calisthenics, 25 reps each, back to back, with as little rest as possible, with a target time of <20 mins.

This week’s CNL is a mobility set designed to build functional strength when moving around on the ground. Why does ground mobility matter? Well, you wouldn’t want to do a reenactment of that famous “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” commercial, would you? And if you live an active life, some ground mobility is really useful if you have to go underneath your house to shut off the water because of a leak, when working on a vehicle, in a survival situation, for self-defense, and so on.

Ground Mobility Constitutional (“CNL”)

Bear Walk (100 yards)

Shrimp (25 reps)

Crawl (100 yards)

Shin Box (25 reps)

Back Bridge (25 reps)

Sit-Outs (25 reps)

Pikes (25 reps)

Don’t know these exercises? Ask me in the comments and maybe I’ll shoot a video.

Want more old-school training tips, or a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: Moon phase matching quiz.

Moonrise times vary by phase and time of year, but are predictable within a certain range. Match the phase with the moonrise time (left). Click here to view the answers.

Why does it matter? Here are three good reasons:

1. If you’re lost somewhere at night without a light source, you need to know when the moon is going to rise and illuminate your surroundings.

2. The moon rises in the east and sets in the west (roughly), the same way the sun does. Watch the moon rise or set and you can get your bearings when lost.

3. A moon phase cycle is about 29 days, which means there’s about a week between each of the four phases. If you’re on the move at night for an extended period of time, to avoid the desert heat, pursuers in a self-defense situation, etc. you can predict when the moon is, or is not, going to be in the sky and how bright it will, or will not, be.

Don’t know this stuff? Get with the program – the free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program! Click here to sign up!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for Sunday, 4/21/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Acts 4:8-12, Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29, 1 Jn 3:1-2, Jn 10:11-18

 

John 10:11-18 World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

“I am the good shepherd.* The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12  He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. 13  The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care for the sheep. 14  I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; 15  even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16  I have other sheep which are not of this fold.* I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. 17  Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, * that I may take it again. 18  No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

 

 

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep.”  Steeped as we are in Christianity and its values, this is easy to hear in a certain familiar way.  Jesus is Lord, his church is his flock, we follow his lead and obey his commandments, he leads us good pasture which is eternal life, and so on.  This is familiar ground for us.  But we must not let this become so familiar that it gets boring.  We cannot afford to nod off.  We can’t snooze on this point.

Jesus’ words were very scandalous at the time.  There’s a reason why, immediately following this, in Verse19, we read,

 

“[A] division arose again among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”

 

Why were these words, so tame to our Christian ears, so inflammatory?  Because the theme of the shepherd king is as old as the Hebrews’ most revered prophets, and Jesus is invoking their ancient words of criticism.

 

Jeremiah scolded the kings of Israel for their abuses, proclaiming,

 

“Behold, the days come,” says the LORD,

“that I will raise to David a righteous Branch;

and he will reign as king and deal wisely,

and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In his days Judah will be saved,

and Israel will dwell safely.

This is his name by which he will be called:

The LORD our righteousness. (Jer 23:5-6)

 

And Ezekiel picked up the same theme, saying,

 

11 “ ‘For the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so I will seek out my sheep. I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. (Ezekiel 34:11-13)

 

Yes, Jesus’ words angered the leaders of his day because he echoed accusations they had heard many times, from the mouths of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and also Zechariah, to whom the Lord said,

 

“Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! The sword will strike his arm and his right eye. His arm will be completely withered, and his right eye will be totally blinded!” (Zecharaiah 11:17).

 

We need to hear the words of Jesus right now, just as the Jews heard them then.  Because merely human shepherds of all kinds – religious leaders, political leaders, social, community, and educational leaders – are always waxing and waning.  Some openly work evil.  Some do great things for a time and then lose their way.  Ultimately, all fall short of the glory of God. 

But God is eternal.  He will not fail us.  And this, brothers and sisters, is the thing that Jesus implied that most angered the leaders of his day.  This is the fact we take for granted that was so scandalous at the time: that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.  That Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth to gather together his flock from all the peoples of the earth – who laid down his life for his sheep, and then took it up again, rising from the dead.

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

*10:11 Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-12,15,22

 *10:16 Isaiah 56:8

 *10:17 Isaiah 53:7-8

7 Sweeps, a CNL, 3 Rules of 3, and the Miraculous Ordinary: Mettle Maker #401 and Holy Eucharist for 4/13/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

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

Announcements!

You may have noticed some changes. First, Heritage Self-Defense is now Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. We feel like this more accurately reflects what we do. Second, our Sunday worship Service is now called Holy Eucharist instead of Holy Communion. Why? Because back when Fr. Mitch was a deacon, he was only able to present Holy Communion of the Reserved Sacrament (using pre-consecrated hosts provided by his bishop). But now that he’s been elevated to the priesthood, Fr. Mitch is able to perform a more traditional Holy Eucharist service.

Apologies from Fr. Mitch for the livestream crash of Holy Eucharist last week morning — technical difficulties — we’ll do better going forward.

Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble: Another expansion of your “get on top IQ.” Yeah, I know, learning sweeps isn’t exactly a giant sizzling steak on the martial arts menu. But you need to be an expert at getting off the bottom. In self-defense, when you are on the ground you lose maneuverability, visibility, ability. That is, you can’t run, gravity augments your attacker’s strength and weakens yours, and you can’t turn your head and see 360 degrees. Practice these 7 moves solo and with a partner until you have them down pat. Looking for a 100% free mind-body-spirit martial arts program? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: Constitutionals — we’ve been doing them since 2009, 15 years strong, and they’re still the twice/week prescription for foundational fitness. Twice a week, come hell or high water, knock out a constitutional (“CNL”). You won’t regret it — I promise. What’s a CNL? 7 calisthenics, 25 reps each, back to back, with as little rest as possible, with a target time of <20 mins. This week’s CNL is a modified version of Mark Hatmaker’s original Gladiator, a warrior fitness program that Mark no longer advocates (and neither do I). Mark and I have both gone 100% “old-school,” accentuating quality over quantity (that is, form and pace over repetitions).

Pace: Positive/concentric movement (against gravity) = 1 second, negative/eccentric phase = 3 to 4 secs, total rep time = 4 - 5 secs.

Reps: 25 of each

The Modified Gladiator

Push-up (w/ Up and Down Dog)

Hindu Squat

Back Bridge

Crunch

Pull-ups

Stick Rotations

Jump Squats


Don’t know these exercises? Ask me in the comments and I’ll shoot a video.

Want more old-school training tips, or a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: The Three Rules of Three.

You can survive:

  • 3 hours in extreme temperatures

  • 3 days without water

  • 3 weeks without food

Toward that end, if you find yourself stuck in a survival situation,

  1. Secure shelter first. Protect yourself against a sinking boat, deflating raft, falling or rising temperatures, incoming tides, approaching wildfires or storms, and so on.

  2. Get a fire going. If temps are going to be low enough to threaten hypothermia, fire is part of the shelter equation (temps as high as 50F can cause hypothermia if your clothes are wet). Plus, you’re going to need fire in order to boil water for drinking and to signal for help. Gather what you need to start, build, and maintain a fire. Bank coals and use caution — burning down your shelter or starting a forest fire will seriously hurt your survival chances.

  3. Find water. After you get your shelter and fire tucked in, then begin to find and secure a water source.

  4. Find food. Only after you have secured and water should you begin searching for food.

Interested in a free outdoor skill training program? Click here to sign up!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for Sunday, 4/13/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9, 1 Jn 2:1-5a, Lk 24:35-48

 

Luke 24:35-48 World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

They related the things that happened along the way, and how he was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

36 As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

37 But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39  See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

42 They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 He took them, and ate in front of them. 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms concerning me must be fulfilled.”

45 Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures. 46 He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47  and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48  You are witnesses of these things.

 

 

 

The ancient stories of the Greeks, Romans, and Vikings, the sacred tales of India and China, and all of the pre-Christian religions, contain magic weapons, transformations from human to animal and from animal to human, gods with animal heads and multiple arms, elves, fairies, and so on.  Their stories explain how the everyday world emerged out of magical powers and events.

The Bible stories are the opposite.  In our religion, miraculous things mostly look like ordinary things.  The sacred emerges out of the mundane in the same way that a seedling emerges from the soil, or rain falls from a cloud – naturally. 

In the stale and dusty myths of the pagan religions, the world used to be magical but has somehow become tired, boring, and very unmagical.  In the Christian version of history, with the birth of Jesus, the miraculous emerges into and out of the ordinary filling all of heaven and earth with enchantment and glory.   

Look here – there are a million bushes in the desert, each one indistinguishable from the next.  But one of these ordinary bushes is engulfed in a strange fire which does not burn it up; and out of it God's voice calls forth to Moses and explains the destiny of God's chosen people.  The instrument of baptism which welcomes new believers into the company of the faithful is just ordinary water.  David slays Goliath with a common, everyday rock.  Samson's superhuman strength is bestowed not by magic, but by keeping a sacred vow to abstain from drinking alcohol and cutting his hair.  At the wedding in Cana, Jesus turns ordinary water into ordinary wine. 

This theme continues when the risen Son of God appears alive, yet tethered to reality by his wounds; inside a locked room, but yet very solid; immortal, but hungry for a bite of food. And on the road to Emmaus, he travels unrecognized, only appearing within the most mundane of activities -- during a simple meal of bread and wine. God is revealed to us through the everyday.  The bread and wine on the altar may be indistinguishable from any other bread and wine, and the words of the priest and congregation may not have any visible affect upon them.  But the ordinary-seeming bread and wine are most assuredly the miraculous Body and Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

Announcements! Mettle Maker #400 and Holy Eucharist for Divine Mercy Sunday 4/7/24

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What’s the weekly mettle maker?

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

Announcements!

You may have noticed some name changes. First, Heritage Self-Defense is now Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble. We feel like this more accurately reflects what we do. Second, our Sunday worship Service is now called Holy Eucharist instead of Holy Communion. Why? Because back when Fr. Mitch was a deacon, he was only able to present Holy Communion of the Reserved Sacrament (using pre-consecrated hosts provided by his bishop). But now that he’s been elevated to the priesthood, Fr. Mitch is able to perform a more traditional Holy Eucharist service.

Apologies from Fr. Mitch for the livestream crash of Holy Eucharist this morning — technical difficulties — we’ll do better next Sunday.

Heritage Rough ‘n’ Tumble: There’s no such thing as advanced martial arts techniques. Advanced martial arts techniques are basic martial arts techniques done flawlessly. And that takes practice. See the video on the left for a constitutional that will build and preserve foundational skills — video premieres tomorrow at 4:45 PM. Looking for a 100% free mind-body-spirit martial arts program? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: Light dumbbells for shoulder health. When injured or in pain, always seek the advice of a qualified health professional. But if you’re just starting to get a twinge in your shoulders, and you’d like to reign it in before it gets out of hand, check out the dumbbell exercises in the video on the right. Want more old-school training tips, or a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: You don’t have to aspire to being the next Les Stroud, Creek Stewart, or Tim MacWelch. I mean, you can if you want to, of course. But the goal of Heritage Wildwood is to get you comfortable outdoors in any weather, to help you develop a deep appreciation for outdoor life, and instill in your good basic survival skills. One way to do that is to go camping — lots. Not every trip needs to be a Bear Grylls drama-palooza. This past weekend I camped at Occoneechee State Park (see video above). No, I didn’t go primitive camping in some backwoods location. But I still learned a lot about fishing and tides from my camping buddy. Every minute outdoors with your eyes and ears open is a learning opportunity. Go out there and , have a good time, and never miss an opportunity to learn. Interested in a free outdoor skill training program? Click here to sign up!

Holy Eucharist 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 Eucharist, CLICK HERE.

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, 4/7/24 – Father Mitch

Readings: Acts 4:32-35, Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24, 1 Jn 5:1-6, Jn 20:19-31

 

John 20: 19-31 World English Bible Catholic Edition

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

Today's gospel reading it's often referred to as the basis of the sacrament of confession. The church has long believed that confession and forgiveness are central to the faith. As we see in the interlude concerning the doubts of Thomas, confession seems to be somehow related to belief. But how?

Perhaps the continuity would be more clear if we looked at it this way: if you are Thomas and you don't believe, then you're not bound by Christ's commandments. That is to say, if you have not accepted the yoke of Christ, which is to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself, then no matter how much you sin, in your mind at least, you have no sin.  If you don’t believe Jesus has risen, he just another teacher, no better and no worse than any other.  You cannot be faulted by anyone, and certainly not by yourself, for straying from his path.

But as soon you accept the reality of the risen Christ, your sin emerges. Because although his joke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30), that is to say, his yoke is simple and uncomplicated, it is extremely difficult to put God and our neighbor's needs before our own. We are going to fail often, and the weight of failure and transgression can be unbearably heavy. 

As someone who has spent long hours and sleepless nights replaying again and again many decades of mistakes, errors, sins, and transgressions, I can testify that it can be very hard to discern when and if it's okay to lay down one’s guilt and move on. We may know that Jesus Christ loves us so much that he suffered for us death on a cross. We may know that he is just and forgiving beyond measure. But have we been truly contrite? Have we made adequate restitution? If someone we have wronged doesn't accept our apology, what does that mean?  You may be left saying to yourself, “Have I been forgiven or not?”

Jesus is presenting to us a way to be freed from the crushing debt of sin. He is telling us that we can trust our priests and bishops to hear our confessions and give rest to our souls. 

As C. S. Lewis said, "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God." At Easter he conquered death and showed us the way toward eternal life. Today, on the Sunday of Divine Mercy, he shows us his heart and delivers us from the bondage of sin.


† 20:29 TR adds “Thomas,”

Mettle Maker #399 and Holy Communion for Easter Sunday 3/31/24

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Mettle Maker #399

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: There’s no such thing as advanced martial arts techniques. Advanced martial arts techniques are basic martial arts techniques done flawlessly. And that takes practice. See the video on the left for a constitutional that will build and preserve foundational skills — video premieres tomorrow at 4:45 PM. Looking for a 100% free mind-body-spirit martial arts program? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: Shoulders, knees, and lower back are the three most common trouble spots for aches and pains. When injured or in pain, always seek the advice of a qualified health professional. But if you’re just starting to get a twinge, and you’d like to reign it in before it gets out of hand, check out the home remedy exercises in the the video on the left. Want more old-school training tips, or a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: A huge part of learning outdoor skills generally — and Heritage Wildwood in particular — is developing independence and self-reliance. Last week I sent with friends to attend the 249th re-enactment of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give me Liberty, or give me Death!” speech. Talk about independence and self-reliance! Be bold. Be brave. Take control of your life and destiny, and sign up for our free adult outdoor skills program! Click here to sign up!

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 Easter Sunday, 3/31/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Acts 10:34a, 37-43, Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23, Col 3:1-4, Victimae paschali laudes, Jn 20:1-9

 

John 20:1-9 (World English Bible, Catholic Edition)

 

1 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him!”

3 Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he didn’t enter in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

 

 

If we sacrifice some luxuries today in order to put some money into savings, we may have enough resources to experience a rebirth in our retirement.  If we put in a little extra effort at work, we could breathe new life into our careers, or perhaps save a dying business.  Recognizing the power of sacrifice and rebirth can have a profound effect on the health of our economic affairs. 

And what about your personal health?  If you sacrifice junk food, excessive fried foods, rich sweets, and delicious treats, and you could create for yourself a whole new you, couldn’t you?  Sacrificing what we want revitalizes relationships too.  What if you went on a road trip with a friend or a spouse.  And, instead of being in the driver’s seat, you handed her the keys.  What if you only ate at the restaurants where she likes to eat and only stopped at the roadside attractions that interest him?  What if you let the other person control the radio station or the music rotation?  Isn’t it possible the two of you could turn a new page?  Yes, seeing the power of sacrifice and rebirth can also bring dying relationships back from the dead.

Imagine, if you will, what would happen if our politicians embraced sacrifice and rebirth in how they governed.  What would happen if, instead of focusing on “getting’-while-the-getting’s-good” they embraced self-sacrifice?  What if we, as citizens, did the same?  Might it be possible for us to save our nation from bitterness and polarization?  Yes, it’s also true in the political realm: sacrifice contains within itself the power to mend and to save.

The reason why sacrifice and has such a marvelous restorative power is that it is the axis around which the universe turns.  What is true economically, physically, personally, and politically, is true because beneath all of existence there is a metaphysical truth that is truer than them all.  And this metaphysical truth underpins all of reality.

Just as a volcano throws up dust and fire into the stratosphere, Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection sends up great saints, martyrs, and heroes to remake the world.  Just as the plates of the earth’s crust smash together across eons to create great mountain ranges and impossible peaks, Christ’s sacrifice and rebirth inspires charities, organizations, and groups that revive neighborhoods and nations.

But you must see that, although majestic and beautiful as that may be, that’s just the tip of the mountaintop peaking through the dim fog.  Beneath all the truths laid out before you, there is a deeper and more foundational truth.  What our glorious God planned from the foundations of the world is fulfilled in the sacrifice and resurrection of his Blessed Son.  What was cast down is raised up, what had become old is made new, and all things are restored to integrity through Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Mettle Maker #398 and Holy Communion for 3/24/24

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Mettle Maker #398

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: The Hook Mettle Drill. In Heritage Self-Defense we learn martial sequences called mettle drills. They’re rather like the kata or forms that are seen in traditional martial arts, except they’re more like flow drills, and they’re usually done with a partner. Here is the blue bandana mettle drill known as…

The Hook Mettle Drill

1. Scarf Hold (he crams face)

2. Leg-only Top Wrist Lock (he tries to roll)

3. Chest Pressure (keeps rolling, you roll over)

4. Top Wrist Lock (he uses catch grip, you apply elbow to clavicle)

5. Double Wrist Lock (he grabs pants)

6. Short Arm Scissors (he doesn’t tap)

7. Shark Fin (he doesn’t tap)

8. Figure -4 Neck Breaker (he doesn’t tap)

9. Arm Bar (he doesn’t tap)

10. Short Arm Scissors (end of drill)

Do you know all of these moves and counters? Sounds like you could stand to take a martial arts class. And, as luck would have it, we offer a 100% free mind-body-spirit martial arts program! Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: Shoulders, knees, and lower back are the three most common trouble spots for aches and pains. When injured or in pain, always seek the advice of a qualified health professional. But if you’re just starting to get a twinge, and you’d like to reign it in before it gets out of hand, check out the home remedy exercises in the the video on the left. Want more old-school training tips, or a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: How do you age tracks and sign? A video will be released on the YouTube channel on Monday at 5 PM. But the reality is, this isn’t something you can learn particularly well from a blog post or a video.

The best thing you can do for yourself is actually go out there and put your eyeballs on some tracks and sign. Make some tracks, and follow them home. Maybe that’s later the same day, the next day, or a couple of days later. How have they changed? How do rain, sun, and wind change the game?

You don’t need to be in an undeveloped area – you can practice in the heart of the city or out in the suburban wilds. Just make some tracks and snap some twigs in your back yard, in a turfed median strip, or in a corner of the local park where nobody walks. Check on them a couple of times a day for a week or so and see how they change.

Looking for a free adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up!

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 Palm Sunday, 3/24/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Mk 11:1-10, Is 50:4-7, Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24, Phil 2:6-11, Mk 14:1—15:47

 

Mark 11:1-10 (World English Bible, Catholic Edition)

 

1 When they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethsphage† and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey§ tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him and bring him. 3  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs him;’ and immediately he will send him back here.”

4 They went away, and found a young donkey tied at the door outside in the open street, and they untied him. 5 Some of those who stood there asked them, “What are you doing, untying the young donkey?” 6 They said to them just as Jesus had said, and they let them go.

7 They brought the young donkey to Jesus and threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it. 8 Many spread their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Those who went in front and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna!‡ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!* 10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

  

During the procession of the palms today, we read the story of Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem as related in the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus gives the disciples instructions as to how they will find a young donkey for him to ride into the city, and the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 is fulfilled: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  Brothers and sisters, our Savior Jesus Christ went to some lengths to ensure that this prophecy was fulfilled for us.  This Palm Sunday, let’s give him a moment to meditate upon this.   

According to St. Ambrose, the donkey “on which no one has sat” is a reference to Gentiles who have never been yoked to the God of Abraham.¹  Like the ass’s colt, they are literally outsiders.  The animal is in a village a short distance from Jerusalem, outside the gate, tethered in the street and awaiting the arrival of Jesus’ disciples to lead him into the city.  The Gentiles are outside the ethnic and religious circle of the Hebrews, outside the gate of salvation, and waiting to be led inside by the apostles.

Perhaps we might read this even more broadly than St. Ambrose suggests, and allow the young donkey to stand in for all of us.  Aren’t we all standing alone and unguarded in the open street?  Are we not surrounded on every side by the distracting hubbub of everyday life, by jobs, bills, broken down cars, homework, and chores?  Like the little donkey, don’t we watch the traffic passing by – the endless parade of YouTube videos, cable television, reality shows, and podcasts?  Doesn’t an endless parade of disordered ideas, bizarre beliefs, chaotic attitudes, and misleading perceptions march by us all day long?  At least the donkey watched an actual parade of people go by – merchants and vendors, cops and criminals, priests, politicians, and paupers, the good the bad and the ugly.  At least the donkey looked at real people and events rather than fake news and screens.  At least the donkey observed the real world rather than a virtual one.  Regardless, here we stand, very much like that donkey, tethered in the open street, ripe for the taking.  Will we be led astray by the culture?  Or will we be taken up by the disciples of Jesus?

The Gospel says, “They brought the young donkey to Jesus and threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it.”  Remember now, the passage says this is a donkey upon whom no one has sat.  This is a wild donkey.  And this donkey calmly submits.  Are we going to submit, or are we going to resist?  Are we going to tame our wild nature and put on the baptismal garments?  Are we going to allow ourselves to be draped in the garments of baptism and wrapped up in the Gospel?  Or are we going to buck and thrash, bray and bolt?

 This world, if we allow it to, will leave us tethered by the cords of sin and death, alone in the street and at the mercy of the crowd.  Let us pray that we can be docile and led to Jesus.  For his yoke is easy and his burden is light, and we will be led to salvation.

 

 

§  Some translations read “colt”

† 11:1 TR & NU read “Bethphage” instead of “Bethsphage”

‡ 11:9 “Hosanna” means “save us” or “help us, we pray”

* 11:9 Psalms 118:25-26

¹ “Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Book IX, from Sundays and Festivals with the Fathers of the Church, D.G. Herbert, translator (1901) accessed at https://archive.org/details/sundaysandfestiv00hubeuoft/mode/2up

Seeds, Songs, and Signs: Mettle Maker #397 and Holy Communion for 3/17/24

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Mettle Maker #397

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 do nature appreciation skills have to do with self-defense? Your self-defense techniques are of zero value if you have no idea what’s going on in the world around you. Surprise is the evildoer’s best and most effective tactic. How can you defend yourself if you’re always wandering around unaware?

Last week I put up a bird call video on YouTube (see right).  It has one lousy view. I'm pretty sure people think, "Bird calls?  So lame!" But paying attention to the world around you is a habit, a skill, and a healthy way of life in more ways than one. Learning some bird calls is a great way to start listening.

All day long people hear-hear-hear but never listen. Imagine if all day, every day, you listened to no one.  You ignored your coworkers, paid no attention to your family, and pretended as though your neighbors didn't exist. How strong would your relationships be? How healthy would you be?  How happy?  How well-liked?

The birds are singing to you, the trees are waving to you, the winds are caressing you, and the stream is calling you to come and play. Don’t be a callous outcast, a hard-hearted loner, a self-absorbed recluse. Be a part of the community of all living things.  Join into relationship with the universe and seek wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. 

Interested in a 100% free mind-body-spirit martial arts program? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: What’s the perfect set/rep scheme for weightlifting? This is one of the secrets of the old-timers, and modern science is increasingly aligning with this, and other aspects, of old-school training. Before I give you the answer, let’s look at what "old-school" means in terms of weightlifting?

1. Reduced intensity. No training to failure (stop on the rep before failure). You're training with too much intensity if you need rest days and/or split days like Chest Day, Leg Day, etc, if you have to grunt or yell to get through a set, if you get really sore after training sessions, if you need ice or Advil.

2. Time under tension matters. Slow the pace of your lifts such that you push fast and return slow. To be more clear, the concentric phase is the pushing part of the movement during which the muscle shortens. The eccentric phase is return of the weight back to starting position, during which the muscle is generally lengthened. The isometric phases are points where the load is held stationary between the transitions from concentric to eccentric, or from eccentric to concentric. Old-school thought was approximately a 1-sec concentric phase, a ..5-sec. isometric phase, a 3-sec eccentric phase, and a .5-sec isometric phase for a 5-second rep.

3. Train your whole body every time you train. See #1 above. Entire sessions on a single zone or body part always results in a level of intensity that’s not old-school.

4. No junk volume. Be stingy with exercises and reps - less is more. Only 1 exercise per body part and about 7 exercises per session.

5. Don’t pick it up if you can’t put it down. No old-timer ever dropped a weight on purpose. You’re cheating yourself out of the eccentric phase of the exercise!

What’s the perfect set/rep scheme? Well, you can build muscle volume and strength with almost any scheme, from one set of 25 to 3 sets of 3. The problem is that the lower the reps the higher the weight, and the more likely the injury. And the higher the reps, the higher the wear and tear on the joints and harder it gets to keep the intensity in the sweet spot. The ideal set/rep scheme — the one that sits at the intersection of results, ease of use, and results — seems to be 3 sets of 12 reps with at the old-school cadence of 4 - 6 seconds per rep as outlined above (1 second up and 3 to 4 seconds down). Essentially, each set of 12 must take a minimum of 48 seconds to complete, and the 12th rep should be 1 rep short of failure.

Weight is less important than pace. Adjust weight on sets 2 and 3 to get the 48-60 second pace and the 1 rep short of failure just right. The slower you go, the harder an exercise gets, and the less volume you can perform in the allotted training time. Do the math. This means you’ll experience less wear and tear because there’s less volume, less risk of injury because of lower weight and increased control, and more strength because the exercise is more difficult (the muscle is under stress for a longer period).

Want more old-school training tips, or a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: How do you age tracks and sign? A video will be released on the YouTube channel on Monday at 5 PM. But the reality is, this isn’t something you can learn particularly well from a blog post or a video.

The best thing you can do for yourself is actually go out there and put your eyeballs on some tracks and sign. Make some tracks, and follow them home. Maybe that’s later the same day, the next day, or a couple of days later. How have they changed? How do rain, sun, and wind change the game?

You don’t need to be in an undeveloped area – you can practice in the heart of the city or out in the suburban wilds. Just make some tracks and snap some twigs in your back yard, in a turfed median strip, or in a corner of the local park where nobody walks. Check on them a couple of times a day for a week or so and see how they change.

Looking for a free adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up!

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 Fifth Sunday of Lent, 3/17/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Jer 31:31-34, Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15, Heb 5:7-9, Jn 12:20-33

 

John 12:20-33

 

Now there were certain Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast. 21 Therefore, these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus.

23 Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24  Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25  He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. 26  If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

27  “Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? But I came to this time for this cause. 28  Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

29 Therefore the multitude who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

30 Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes. 31  Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die.

 

 

Modern people, just like the Greeks in today’s Gospel reading, ask to see Jesus.  We Christians seek him all over the place.  We search for him in the Bible.  We look for him in the church or in the cathedral.  We look for him in the liturgy, in missionary work, in singing.  We cry out to him in prayer. Even atheists profess to seek him, claiming that if they could see God, they’d believe. 

The problem is, of course, that Jesus is not in any of those places.  He cannot be captured in the Bible or any other book.  He cannot be held prisoner in a church or a cathedral.  Jesus is not a genie that can be summoned by rubbing a magic lamp; and so Jesus cannot be conjured up by singing, or praying.

Jesus cannot be found in the places that people most often look because he’s not an inanimate object that can be found, nor is he stationary enough to be located and photographed.  No, the creator of the universe is not in the universe.  The speaker of the words in the Bible is not in the Bible any more than George Orwell can be found within the pages of his book Nineteen Eighty-Four.  As the anonymous author of Liber XXIV Philosophorum wrote, “God is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere."

So how can we find him and be with him?  In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus reveals the trailhead of the path.  He says, “Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  My friends, soon the Red Maple trees will drop their winged seeds.  They’ll be blowing and spinning by the millions, helicoptering far and wide, each one carrying within itself a mighty tree.  Inside the outer shell of the seed is tremendous potential, locked up and waiting to burst out.  And we are just the same.  We too must let go of our old selves and yield to our potential if we’re going to become something new and greater in and with Jesus.

  Jesus continues, “He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.” What does “loving this life” mean?  It means being selfish.  Loving ourselves and what we want more than we love others and what they need.  Seeking riches, success, fame, and power at the expense of others.  Obsessing about how we look rather than how we behave.  Focusing on our physical appearance, social standing, and outward virtue instead of on true intention.  Hoarding our time and attention away from obligations.  Trying to prove our courage, toughness, or skill instead putting our courage, toughness and skill to good use.  Averting our energy and attention from giving pleasure to others and directing it toward our own pleasures – the feel of fine clothing and sheets on our skin, delicious flavors on our tongues, delightful entertainment for our eyes, and so on. 

If we behave in this way, we are like seeds that hoard their potential, that never split, sprout and transform.  As the poet Tennyson said, “The shell must crack before the bird may fly.”

If you want to see God, this is the path. 

Mettle Maker #396 and Holy Communion for 3/10/24

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Mettle Maker #396

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: Scarf Hold or Side Headlock? There is a great deal of confusion on this point, and I admit I’ve contributed to it over the years by using the terms interchangeably. A Scarf Hold goes around the neck and holds the head in place. A Side Headlock is a lock. It hurts. It can can be a submission. Look on the right. You will notice that Robert has his arm around David’s head, not his neck, and his forearm is lined up along his jaw. He has not, however, fully applied it. How can you tell? By his hand position. What to know the secret? I guess you’d better join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!

Heritage Fitness: Slow down! The slower you go, the harder an exercise gets, and the less volume you can perform in the allotted training time. Do the math. This means you’ll experience less wear and tear because there’s less volume, less risk of injury because of increased control, and more strength because the exercise is more difficult (the muscle is under stress for a longer period). Want more old-school training tips, or a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: Learning birds and their calls isn’t an esoteric specialty reserved for birdwatchers and conservationists. It does several important things to those who undertake it:

  • It builds the patience to watch and listen

  • Deepens the your visual and sonic landscape

  • Enriches your experience of nature

  • Increases your sense of belonging and participation in life

  • And it might save your life.

If you hear or see predatory birds, you know prey is nearby and you can hunt them too. If you learn to tell buzzards from eagles, you can find a carcass and, if necessary, salvage horns, hide, bones, teeth, and hooves for tools. You can follow herons to water., and so on. Learn some birds and their calls. You’ll be happier, have more fun outside, and be a more capable wilderness survivor. Click the photo above to see some of the bird observations and calls I’ve captured using Birdnet, a cell phone app provided courtesy of the Cornell Ornithology Lab.  Looking for a free adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up!

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 Lent, 3/10/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: 2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23, Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6, Eph 2:4-10, Jn 3:14-21

 

John 3:14-21

 

Jesus said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15  that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born§ Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17  For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18  He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God. 19  This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 20  For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

 

 

The serpent staff is one of the world's most archaic and enduring symbols, dating back at least 6,000 years and still used today.  In Greco-Roman myths, Greek gods Hermes and Asclepius, and the Roman god Mercury, carried them.  Sometimes the rod had two snakes, sometimes just one.  Nowadays we see these symbols on ambulances, emergency hospital signs, pharmacies, first aid kits, and so on.

For pagans, all power comes from nature.  To them, these serpent staffs were markers of authority that allowed magic power to be drawn from the wellspring of nature.  Even their gods derived their powers from nature.  Ba'al was the god of storms, Amon the god of the sun, Molech the fiery god of sacrifice, and so on.  But for the Hebrews, all power comes from God, who created nature.  There is no magic beyond or above God.

So in today’s Gospel reading, when Jesus referenced Moses and the serpent on a pole which the Hebrews called Nehushtan, Nicodemus knew the story. 

 

8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole. It shall happen that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9)

 

Poor Nicodemus.  Certainly, he saw the resemblance between the Hebrew Nehushtan and the serpent rods of their neighboring cultures.  And of course he knew that their Hebrew version was something entirely new and improved.  But he could not have fully grasped the deep analogy Jesus was speaking to him.  We can, because we can read Jesus' words by the light of two thousand years of history and Christian teaching.  We can see the progression.

Pagans believed in many gods and magic serpent staffs.  But through Moses, God showed that there is no magic, only a deeper level of reality and relationship with him.  Nehushtan wasn’t mythical, make-believe, or magic in itself.  It was just an ordinary brass snake on a pole to remind them that if they turned to God in faith, as God commanded them, they wouldn’t die.  Nehushtan was just a sculpture, a focal point, a way of reminding the Hebrews to have faith in God’s healing power.  Nicodemus could’ve seen that.  He would’ve agreed that God, through Moses, clarified and corrected the pagan serpent pole motif, making it something entirely new.

What Nicodemus couldn’t see or know was that Jesus was going to take the symbol into himself and perfect it in the Cross.  Yes, Nehushtan stood for the power of faith.  But brass serpents don’t bleed.  Brass serpents don’t suffer.  And brass serpents are not the only Son of God. 

Like Nehushtan, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross doesn’t prevent us from experiencing the painful bites of life's hardships and sufferings.  But if we have faith in him, we can be protected not just from death by snakebite – but from the death itself – from the death that lasts forever.  And Jesus is not a solution for one people at one time in one place, a lesson to get the Hebrews through a test in the desert.  Jesus was going to be hoisted up on a cross for everyone to see so that they could all be healed by faith.¹

Poor confused, and yet blessed Nicodemus.  Imagine how he felt after the Passion and Resurrection, when he looked back on his conversation with Jesus and finally understood it fully.  And then imagine his joy when he realized that he had spoken with God’s only begotten son, come to earth in the flesh to be put on a cross and held aloft to save everyone, Jew and Gentile.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).

  

¹ Note also that Hebrew letters are also numbers, which means that all Hebrew words have numerical values.  Very strikingly, the words "serpent" (נחש) and "Messiah" (משיח) both have a numerical value of 358.


*2:17 Psalms 69:9  

Mettle Maker #395 and Holy Communion for 3/3/24

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Mettle Maker #395

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: The Top Saddle escape series is complete! Do you have more than one method for escaping Top Saddle a.k.a. “mount?” You better! The most recent video is up (see right) and here are all the links:

Part 1: https://youtu.be/y5WJHn3whIk

Part 2: https://youtu.be/sHDr9n-hRKQ

Part 3: https://youtu.be/Gv6V2P7Rf_4

Part 4: https://youtu.be/zgYAzNPKUx8

Part 5: https://youtu.be/NF1Ayy35hZ0


But don’t just watch them — train them!

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: Whole-body exercise par excellence: Bear Walks! The humble Bear Walk — simple, no equipment needed, as old as time — what’s not to love?

  1. Works the entire body in unison

  2. Requires unified coordination

  3. Aerobically demanding

At least once per month, add a hundred yards of Bear Walks to a training session. Need a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

(Photo taken from Weapons and Implements of Savage Races (Australasia, Oceania, and Africa) by Montague, Leopold A. D (London, The Bazaar, Exchange & Mart" Office 1921)

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

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 Lent, 3/3/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Ex 20:1-17, Ps19:8, 9, 10, 11, 1 Cor 1:22-25, Jn 2:13-25

 

John 2:13-25

 

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting. 15 He made a whip of cords and drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money and overthrew their tables. 16 To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”*

18 The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did. 24 But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them, because he knew everyone, 25 and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.

 

 

Bible stories are very sparing with their words.  They expect us to fill in the blanks.  To have a sense of what is really happening in the cleansing of the temple, I want you to imagine going down to the local flea market, turning over the vendor’s tables, and ordering them all out.  What do you suppose would happen?  Would they all go?  Of course not.  A half dozen, belligerent and angry vendors would throw you out on your ear.  Some of them might even jab a pistol in your face.

Keeping in mind that people in Jesus’ time were far less soft and tame than modern folks, you can imagine that this event sparked far more than just spirited debate.  Jesus really started something here, an altercation bordering on a riot, so serious that the Gospel says they challenged him to produce a sign to justify his actions.  The situation was so serious that it was going to take a miracle to calm it down.  Based on his reply, they may even said something like, “Look here Jesus, you better give us a sign from heaven or we’re going to kill you.”  That would explain why he responds, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  It’s as if he’s saying, “Go ahead and kill me, and I’ll show you what happens.”

What point could Jesus find so vitally important that he’d brandish a whip or a coil of rope and start an aggressive confrontation?  St. Paul knew what it was, and he expresses his insight in our epistle reading today.  He says, “For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:22-24).  Let’s not read this narrowly, as if it applies Jews and Greeks.  Jew and Greek represent ways of thinking, not ethnic groups.

Many people have a transactional way of thinking that resembles the Jews of Jesus’ day.  For them, relationship with God is a sacrifice-reward, pray-miracle kind of give-and-take.  This type of outlook is as common today as then.  It’s the basis of the so-called “prosperity gospel” in which people believe they can pray their way to material wealth or buy their way into heaven. And, on the other hand, there are always going to be folks who think the Greek way – those who want God’s ways to be man’s ways.  They want God to serve man rather than the reverse.  They demand logic, rationality, and common sense.  They deny God on scientific grounds, because of philosophical the Problem of Evil, or because miracles are silly.

But Jesus literally “turns the tables” on both of those viewpoints.  We can’t buy our way into the Kingdom of God with sacrifices, tithes, donations, prayers, or good works.  Nor can we think our way in, with logic, philosophy, or common sense.  Jesus chases out all of the old ideas about sacrificing oxen, sheep, and doves, and overturns the modern idols of rationalism and the worship of science.

Jesus bursts onto the scene and causes a huge uproar.  He goes to the brink of violence to proclaim something of vital importance – the thing nobody wants to hear – a stumbling block for all.  That the Son of God has come to earth to save us from sin and death.  That he died on a cross and rose from the dead.  And the only way the Kingdom of God is through him.

*2:17 Psalms 69:9  

Saddles, Shanties, and Starting Your Day: Mettle Maker #394 and Holy Communion for 2/25/24

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Mettle Maker #394

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: The Top Saddle escape series continues! Do you have more than one method for escaping Top Saddle a.k.a. “mount?” You can’t make your attacker behave the way you’d prefer. Some guys ride high, some low, some posture up and strike, some choke, etc. So you need to have several methods that counter the specifics of how they’re riding. Watch the video above, and follow the whole series — when we’re done, there will be 10 techniques and 5 videos in all. But don’t just watch them — train them!

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: Do you eat breakfast? What’s the goal? If you’re trying to watch your weight, the goal should be eat just enough nutritious food at breakfast to forestall hunger for 4 hours. 10 grams of fat are required to achieve that. Therefore, your breakfast must contain 10 to 12 grams of fat and be below the target calories. If your breakfast does not contain 10 grams of fat, you will be hungry again very quickly and be more likely to cheat on your diet plan. Here are some breakfast ideas with 10 grams of fat:

• One egg (boiled, poached, or cooked in a non-stick pan with cooking spray) and two slices of thin, pre-cooked bacon = 10 – 12 grams of fat.

• One scrambled egg with 2 tbsp of grated cheese = 10 grams of fat.

• A slice of whole wheat toast with 1 tbsp of butter or peanut butter = 10 grams of fat.

• I slice of whole wheat toast with ½ smashed avocado, a dollop of sour cream, and a splash of salsa = 10 grams of fat.

• ½ cup oatmeal with 1 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp of raisins, and zero-calorie sweetener = 10 grams of fat.

Need a free fitness coach to help develop an old-school fitness program that suits your specific needs and goals? Click here to sign up for one of our free programs!

Heritage Wildwood Outdoor Skills: Learn how to make a “bark shanty.” Check out this semi-permanent trapping shelter from Camp Life in the Woods by William Hamilton Gibson (1881) page 245. Sounds like a lot of work! But you be the judge. I’d much prefer a debris shelter. Looking for a free adult outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up!

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 Lent, 2/25/24 – Father Mitch

 

Readings: Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18, Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19, Rom 8:31b-34, Mk 9:2-10

 

Mark 9:2-10

 

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them. 3 His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter answered Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let’s make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 For he didn’t know what to say, for they were very afraid.

7 A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

8 Suddenly looking around, they saw no one with them any more, except Jesus only.

9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one what things they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 They kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the “rising from the dead” meant.

 

 Last week, we marveled at the very strange way in which Jesus retells the flood story from the book of Genesis by sending a new flood – a flood of Baptismal waters – that cleanses not by death and destruction, but rather by life and resurrection.  We saw how the first flood was sealed by a covenant rainbow, but the second was bound up in the promise of the cross.

The Gospels are filled with reverberations, recapitulations, and repeating patterns like this.  They echo and flow through the stories.  Like ripples in pond that reflect when they hit the rocky shore, Jesus steps into certain themes, and retells them.  Some he restates with words, others he reiterates with his actions, and some he fulfills in his person.

Today we hear, in our Old Testament reading, the story of Abraham offering the sacrifice of his son Isaac.  Immediately we see how Jesus steps into and retells this story in an impossible way.  Jesus is one with the God the Father, so he is Abraham.  Jesus is the Father’s only Son, so he is Isaac.  Jesus is the True Sacrifice, so he is the ram caught in the thicket, complete with the crown of thorns.  He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” who will “give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.” (Rev 21:6).

And in our Gospel reading we see the glory that allows Jesus to say, do, and be capable of retelling and fulfilling these stories.  Jesus is a new Moses, glowing with the new way of seeing the law.  Jesus is a new Elijah who, like Elijah, knows the date of his death and will ascend into heaven.  But the fire of Christ will not come down like the fire that Eljah commanded to destroy his enemies in 2 Kings 1:10.  Jesus’ Pentecostal fire will come down to empower his disciples until he comes again.

The Old Testament stories are good.  But Jesus’ makes them great, relating them at a much higher, powerful, and more beautiful pitch.  Being made in God’s image, and following in the footsteps of Jesus, we can do what Jesus does in our own small way.  We too, in our human capacity, can step into our stories and live out their greater possibilities.  Lent is a time for reflection.  It’s the perfect time look at the positive stories in our lives, engage with them, and consider how we might live them in even greater truth and sincerity. 

Do you have a good marriage?  How about becoming such a great wife or husband that the fullest promise of your union might be realized, transforming it into an amazing and eternal love story? 

Are you a reliable worker with a steady paycheck?  Good.  But what if you went above and beyond?  Could you transform yourself into a dedicated worker with a remarkable and satisfying career? 

Do you have a few friends to spend time with?  That’s terrific.  But what if you became brothers and sisters with them?  What if you brought the lost sheep to the waters of baptism? 

Do you patiently and politely get along with your family members, neighbors, or coworkers?  Good.  But how might you step into those relationships and make them shine with glory like the sun?