May is the Month of Our Lady

We begin on May 1st with the feast of Saint Joseph the Workman, a feast which reminds us of the dignity of holy employment.  There is much that can be contemplated on this, these days.  So many people are drawn into working for a system which is worldly at best and diabolical at worst.  It takes great trust to be willing to leave a job because it compromises your Catholic beliefs.  It is a leap of faith that God certainly will look kindly upon.  Let us pray to Saint Joseph for all those struggling with these issues.

The Ascension of Our Lord is celebrated on the traditional Thursday, the 9th or Sunday, the 12th.  Check your diocese to see if the 9th is a Holy Day of Obligation, though of course, those who love Our Blessed Lord would flee with great joy to attend Holy Mass and receive His Body…lest these great privileges be taken from us once again, as they were during the dreadful and unjust time of Covid lockdown. 

We have several Marian feasts in this month of Our Lady.  Our Lady of Fatima, whom Nomen Christi Apostolate is dedicated to, is celebrated on the 13th, the date of the first Fatima apparition to the 3 children.  In the new calendar, we have the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, on the 20th.  On the 31st, we have a double Marian feast…the Visitation in the new and the Queenship in the trad.  There are so many ways to honor Our Lady during this month.  Consider attending Mass on one of her feasts or choose another devotion.  This is a wonderful time to think about the requests of Our Lady of Fatima, such as starting the First Saturday Devotions and praying the Rosary daily.

Pentecost or Whitsunday is celebrated (following the Vigil) on the 19th, followed by the traditional Octave of Pentecost.  Trinity Sunday is one week later, beginning a new Liturgical Season in the trad, Time After Pentecost, which remains until Advent.  We also remain in the Cycle of Easter, when we meditate upon the Mystery of the Redemption.  Upon Advent, we begin the Cycle of Christmas, the Mystery of the Incarnation.

Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) is the 30th, Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

We’re not done yet!  May gives us not only the Minor Rogation Days from the 6th to the 8th, but also the Ember Days of Summer, the 22nd, 24th and 25th.  So, a lot of prayer and penance this month for the coming season and for mercy.  The Rogation Days and The Ember Days are similar in spirit and intention, but with different origins.  A few more notable feasts…

3rd-Saints Philip and James the Less, new

11th-Saints Philip and James the Less, trad

14th-Saint Matthias

15th-Saint Isidore the Farmer (we like him!) Another link. Farmers need our support these days. Let’s not forget about our local farms. Saint Isidore, pray for us!

Here is the full trad calendar for May:  calefactory.org

March is the Month of Saint Joseph

The icon above is so sweet, how it portrays the Child Jesus’ love and affection for His Foster-Father, whose feast we celebrate this month on the 19th. May we further our own love for Saint Joseph during his month of March, as we also embark on the Season of Lent.

Ash Wednesday is the 2nd of the month-we begin Lent by contemplating our mortality and performing penance. There has never been a time in our lives when the world has needed more prayer and penance, so let us observe this Lent as well as we can, without stressing ourselves too much. When we stress ourselves, it has an immediate affect on those around us. As Saint Paul reminded us in the Quinquagesima Epistle:

“If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing…And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.”

1 Corinthians 13:1

Adding to the penitential spirit of Lent, we have the Ember Days on the 9th, 11th and 12th. This is a time to pray and offer for blessings and mercy upon the coming season of Spring.

We remember the great event of The Annunciation of the Lord on the 25th. Some other notable saints which March celebrates are: 20th-century Saint, Katherine Drexel…martyrs invoked in the Canon, Felicity & Perpetua…Doctors of the Church Saint Thomas Aquinas, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem and Saint John Damascene…our beloved Saint Patrick and Saint Gabriel the Archangel, just prior to The Annunciation. Let us give special mention to Saint Isidore the Farmer, who we particularly like here at Nomen Christi Apostolate!

What may we do this month to honor our dear Saint Joseph? Of course, last year was the Year of Saint Joseph. Maybe we could gain some inspiration from those former indulgences.

Finally, let us pray for peace, especially in the Ukraine. But remember, we live in an illusory world, where nothing is what it seems and the truth is often not what we are told. There is always more to the story. There is always information we are not privy to. But let us not forget the World Wars already waging…the war upon the unborn and the vulnerable…and the war upon freedom combined with the Covid bioweapon and the “Mystery Injection” being touted as a vaccine. Of course we never despair-we trust in the Most Holy Trinity, because we are God’s children and we know He loves us!

Here is your traditional Month of March calendar. Lenten blessings to all…

Saint Joseph icon at etsy.com.

Saint Isidore the Farmer

Saint Isidore, Pray for Us!

“Pater Meus Agricola Est”

“My Father is the Vinedresser”

Saint Isidore the Faremer was born in Madrid, Spain, and lived from about 1070 to 1130. He is also known as “St. Isidore the Laborer” or “St. Isidore the Husbandman.” He was married to Blessed Maria de la Cabeza. His traditional feast is March 22nd and the new feast is the date of his death, May 15th. Isidore is the patron of peasants and day-laborers.

Saint Isidore was born to poor parents who were also farmers. He was named after the other Saint Isidore, of Seville, who is a Doctor of the Church, the “Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages.” The most famous story about Saint Isidore the Farmer, is the account of his employer witnessing the presence of angels, helping him with his work. He was also known for miracles, particularly involving water. Blessed Maria is also invoked in Spain for drought. Isidore was kind to all, especially those even poorer than he. After death, he notably assisted the rulers of Spain and is honored by various Spanish cities.

Other saints which may be invoked regarding nature and sustainability, are Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Fiacre.

O God, through the intercession of Saint Isidore the holy Farmer, grant that we may overcome all feelings of pride. May we always serve Thee with that humility which pleases Thee, through Saint Isidore’s merits and example. Amen.

Regarding the agrarian “Authentic Life” versus the “New World Order,” take a look at the stone relief above. That is Benjamin Franklin in the center. How would you interpret this?

Image St. Isidore & prayer slightly edited, courtesy faithofthefathersangels.blogspot.com, Image stone relief courtesy Michael Wann

Feast of Saint Isidore the Farmer

                  SAINT ISIDORE, PRAY FOR US!

This is Saint Isidore's lesser feast-his main feast is May 15th, the date he died in 1130.  I love the icon above-its looks like he is holding a spherical terrarium.  If you zoom in, you can see an angel operating a plow.  This is due to the story that his guardian angel sometimes did his work for him, when he was busy in spiritual matters.  He is also known as Saint Isidore, the Laborer (not to be confused with Saint Isidore of Seville, a bishop who lived 500 years earlier).  He lived his life just outside Madrid, working in the fields for a wealthy landowner.  His wife is Saint Maria de la Cabeza, whose feast is September 9th.  They were devoutly religious and ministered to the poor.  For more info:

catholicculture.org

angelsandsaintsandus.blogspot.com

Nomen Christi Apostolate is dedicated to preparedness and sustainability.....growing our own food is the most basic way to be prepared and self-sufficient.  Sustainability involves creating resilient systems of food production which respect God's great earth.  We hope to move the Church closer to these ideals in the coming years.  If you are like-minded and wish to join us, please contact us at:  director@nomenchristi.org .  We take Saint Isidore's and Saint Maria's example in wishing to help the poor as well, with our work.  Saint Isidore and Saint Maria, watch over us!

O God, Who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, and Who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, revealed Thyself the Husbandman of our souls, deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore, to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer, so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, we may enjoy eternal happiness in Heaven, through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Image courtesy https://www.pinterest.com/pin/91972017363075141/