Great Big Backwards World

So I come into work this week (Dec. 27-31), and guess what everyone is talking about?

That's right - everyone is talking about how they can't wait to get rid of their Christmas trees, or, how they've already purged their house of Christmas decorations.

This is a brief reminder to those who are still interested in remaining sane:

1) Christmas began on Dec. 25th, it didn't end then
2) Christmas did not begin the day after Thanksgiving - that would be Advent
3) Christmas more-or-less concludes with the Feast of the Epiphany, which is January 6 - a full twelve days after Christmas

Of course, the secular world - in true Luciferian form - inverts this completely and does it backwards. It starts celebrated Christmas 30 days before Christmas, instead of going through the due preparation and mortifications of Advent. Then it shuts down Christmas as soon after the 25th as it can, and begins the Advent-like purifications of the New Year's resolutions (usually having to do with dieting).

[The sad symbolism here is that Advent is an image and foreshadowing of our preparation for Jesus' Second Coming; the secular world is doing now exactly what they'll be doing at the Second Coming - scrambling. Once He comes, however, it will be too late for repentence and resolutions]

I mentioned this to someone recently, and their response was amusing: "Well, I'm not a Catholic, so I don't follow their liturgical calendar."

Too much.

Of course, the reality is that the Church fixes or has already fixed the date of all the major religious feasts: Easter and Christmas being the most prominent among them. And, believe it or not, the secular world does follow the Catholic liturgical calendar on those days.

So anyway, keep the decorations up and keep the celebration of Christmas alive at least until Jan. 6. If you need help, email me and I'll send you the daily liturgy that my family is using every night.

(oh, and today is the Third Day of Christmas - three French hens and all that)

Some Christmas Humor

This is an annual Yule-tide classic ... far be it from me to fail to share it with you during this week of Christmas!

***************************

'Twas the nocturnal segment of the diurnal period preceding
the annual Yuletide celebration, and throughout our place of
residence, kinetic activity was not in evidence among the
possessors of this potential, including that species of domestic
rodent known as Mus musculus. Hosiery was meticulously suspended
from the forward edge of the wood burning caloric apparatus,
pursuant to our anticipatory pleasure regarding an imminent
visitation from an eccentric philanthropist among whose folkloric
appellations is the honorific Saint Nicholas.

The prepubescent siblings, comfortably ensconced in their
respective accommodations of repose, were experiencing
subconscious visual hallucinations of variegated fruit confections
moving rhythmically through their cerebrums. My conjugal partner
and I, attired in our nocturnal head coverings, were about to take
slumbrous advantage of the hibernal darkness when upon the
avenaceous exterior portion of the grounds there ascended such a
cacophony of dissonance that I felt compelled to arise with
alacrity from my place of repose for the purpose of ascertaining
the precise source thereof.

Hastening to the casement, I forthwith opened the barriers
sealing this fenestration, noting thereupon that the lunar
brilliance without, reflected as it was on the surface of a recent
crystalline precipitation, might be said to rival that of the
solar meridian itself--thus permitting my incredulous optical
sensory organs to behold a miniature airborne runnered conveyance
drawn by eight diminutive specimens of the genus Rangifer, piloted
by a miniscule, aged chauffeur so ebullient and nimble that it
became instantly apparent to me that he was indeed our anticipated
caller. With this ungulate motive power traveling at what may
possibly have been more vertiginous velocity than patriotic
sagacity predicates, he heralded loudly, expelled breath musically
through contracted lips, and addressed each of the octet by his or
her respective cognomen--"Now Dasher, now Dancer . . ." et al.
--guiding them to the uppermost exterior level of our abode,
through which structure I could readily distinguish the
concussions of each of the 32 cloven pedal extremities.

As I retracted my cranium from its erstwhile location and was
performing a 180 degree pivot, our distinguished visitant
achieved--with utmost celerity and via a downward leap--entry by
way of the smoke passage. He was clad entirely in animal pelts
soiled by the ebon residue from oxidations of carboniferous fuels
which had accumulated on the walls thereof. His resemblance to a
street vendor I attributed largely to the plethora of assorted
playthings which he bore dorsally in a commodious cloth
receptacle.

His orbs were scintallant with reflected luminosity, while his
submaxillary dermal indentations gave every evidence of engaging
amiability. The capillaries of his malar regions and nasal
appurtenance were engorged with blood which suffused the
subcutaneous layers, the former approximating the coloration of
Albion's floral emblem, the latter that of the Prunus avium, or
sweet cherry. His amusing fleshy outer region of his oral orifice
resembled nothing so much as a common loop knot, and the hirsute
facial adonment juxtaposed vertically with his oral orifice
appeared like small tabular and columnar crystals of frozen water.

Clenched firmly between his incisors was a smokingpiece whose
grey fumes, forming a tenuous ellipse about his occiput, were
suggestive of a decorative seasonal circlet of holly. His visage
was wider than it was high, and when he waxed amiably mirthful,
his corpulent abdominal region undulated in the manner of
impectinated fruit syrup in a hemispherical container. He was, in
short, neither more nor less than an obese, jocund, multigenarian
gnome, the optical perception of whom rendered me visibly
frolicsome despite every effort to refrain from so being. By
rapidly lowering and then elevating one eyelid and rotating his
head slightly to one side, he indicated that trepidation on my
part was groundless.

Without utterance and with dispatch, he commenced filling the
aforementioned previously dorsally transported cloth receptacle.
Upon completion of this task, he executed an abrupt about-face,
placed a single manual digit in lateral juxtaposition to his
olfactory organ, inclined his cranium forward in a gesture of
leave-taking, and forthwith effected his egress by renegotiating
(in reverse) the smoke passage. He then propelled himself in a
short vector onto his conveyance, directed a musical expulsion of
air through his contracted oral sphincter to the antlered
quadrupeds of burden, and proceeded to soar aloft in a movement
hitherto observable chiefly among the seed-bearing portions of a
common weed. But I overheard his vociferation beyond the limits of
visibility: "Ecstatic Yuletide to the planetary constituency, and
to the selfsame assemblage, my sincerest wishes for a salubriously
beneficial and gratifyingly pleasurable period between sunset and
dawn."

Philly Court Orders Four Christians to Trial; Emergency Appeal Likely

Clip

In October, 11 Christians were arrested as they were praying and reading scripture during the annual "gay pride" event known as "Outfest" in Philadelphia. Those in the group were charged with three felonies (criminal conspiracy, ethnic intimidation, and riot) and five misdemeanors. On Tuesday, charges were dropped against seven of the individuals; but Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan ordered the other four to stand trial on the charges. They were also banned from doing any type of evangelism within 100 yards of any "gay and lesbian event."

Full Story

**********************************

This is truly frightening.

Notice the progression ... the Sodomites started out years ago by saying "just leave us alone and let us be evil in peace." Then they said, "recognize us as equals and give us marriage benefits." Now they're saying "if you express opposition to what we do, we'll call it 'hate-speech' and throw you in prison."

The last step in this process? You will find it in Genesis 19.

"... the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.' Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, 'I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.' But they said, 'Stand back!' And they said, "This fellow came to sojourn, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.' Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door." (vv. 4-9)

Pretty soon the tides will turn, and we'll be the oppressed ones who are begging to just be left in peace.

O Immaculata

For the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated today ...

*********************

Most glorious and immaculate virgin Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, how priviledged we are to greet you this day!

It was 150 years ago today that the dogma of your Immaculate Conception was defined and promulgated by Holy Mother Church, and we are pleased to celebrate this occasion by offering you our praises.

From the first moment of your conception, you were preserved from the stain of Original Sin by Our Lord. That foul venom of the ancient serpent could not touch you, for where the First Adam failed in his duty to protect his bride, the New Adam was determined to succeed.

In you was fulfilled in a unique way the prophecy of old, which was spoken to the serpent, "I will put emnities between you and the woman."

You are the greatest masterpiece of grace among the many works of the Divine Artist. We render homage and adoration to Him by admiring the spotless beauty of your soul, and by confessing you to be indeed the most blessed among women.

It was of you that the ancients spoke when they praised Judith as blessed among women and the glory of Jerusalem; it was of you that the prophetess spoke when she praised Jael as blessed among women and the crusher of Sisera's wicked head.

It was your pure soul that God the Father had in His mind's eye when He gave to Moses the blueprint for building the Ark of the Covenant.

It was of you that the Holy Ghost spoke, through the pen of Solomon, when He praised you as His fair spouse, "in whom there is no stain," (Cant. 4:7) you who are the "lily among the thorns." (Cant. 2:2)

You are the Seat of Wisdom, upon whose lap, as like to a throne, the King of Israel sat and learned His first words.

Be praised and adored, O Queen of Angels and Saints, for God in His wisdom desired you and only you to bear the Christ, to be the cause of salvation for all men by bringing forth the blessed fruit of your womb, Who would redeem the world.

Hail Mary, who said, "I am the Immaculate Conception," all filled with grace - the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mater Dei, pray for us sinners, both now and at the hour of our death.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.