Sorry for having to post two horrific posts yesterday. It is a terrible thing indeed to report that my site traffic yesterday – Christmas Day – was not only multiples what “normal” Christmas Day traffic has been (usually the slowest day of the year), but historically high, as I have been running for most of this year. It was heartbreaking for me to glance at the real-time traffic and see so many “active visitors” during gift-opening time, and then Mass time, and then Christmas Dinner time.
On a happy note, I have received reports in my inbox of happy Christmases, even magical for those of you who had a “perfect Christmas snowfall”, DIRECTLY correlated to the presence of small and tiny people. Indeed. INDEED….
Let me at this time, on the Feast of St. Stephen the protomartyr, the SECOND day of Christmas, reiterate my undying gratitude and fraternal love to one and all, but especially my benefactors and supporters. The kind and edifying notes of love and encouragement, as well as the proverbial “stocking stuffers” denominated in the still-PetroDollar, are a blessing to me that I do not deserve. Speaking the truth and alerting others to danger is not heroic. It is morally obligatory.
It is a terrible thing that I feel I cannot bring up gratitude to my benefactors because, sadly, the well has been poisoned by laypeople trying to make a killing off of Christian charity, and the Church in se. EVERY mention of money becomes a “bleg” – a combination of the words “blog” and “beg”, far too many times with a spirit of premeditated predation upon the goodness (still!) of the post-Christian world’s populace. We are now at the point where you can’t say a simple “thank you” without it turning into a damned (and I use the term VERY intentionally) fundraiser.
All I can do is have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for YOU, my benefactors and supporters, now, DAILY at minimum, and most days more than once. And, I have specifically arranged it with God that no matter what, even if a person decides that I am trouble with a capital T and a probable agent provocateur being paid by the Mossad or the Deep State, or that I am simply a terrible, horrible person; if a donor or supporter were ever once a donor or supporter, then they are on the Benefactor Mass intention list so long as such Masses are offered. Period. EVERYONE is destined for heaven. The telos of man is the Beatific Vision. His or her opinion of me, good or ill, true or false, is irrelevant.
If you would like to pray for an earthly intention for me, it would be that I have a “patron”, i.e. a stable, private means of support that is no functional burden on anyone, in whatever form, such that I can TAKE DOWN that donation button forever, and continue with this website and the Podcasts WITHOUT the button.
In the interim, we continue. I live comfortably, but not extravagantly. I host many guests and lodgers, albeit fewer this year, obviously. Excess funds go to the landlord, in cash, to pay rent out ahead – always a huge relief. I have had two Gregorians offered this year for deceased friends, Brother Thomas and Maria Teresa. I have rebooted my wardrobe in the past year, which was much-needed, as I was turned onto an incredible source of beautiful modest, semi-custom tailored and DIRT CHEAP dresses (I’ll make a post on this for the ladies), so I took advantage of that this year. And, I have a nice pantry filled with pasta and lentils, salt, coffee, and seasonings. Otherwise, I help out the neighbors as much as I can, including my stash of 1% bovine injectable Ivermectin for oral human dosage, should it be needed, which I am convinced every household should have on hand. And, of course, one tithes DIRECTLY to one’s immediate parishes, usually “in kind”. Absolutely NO money goes to “FrancisChurch” on any level.
I’ll close with something that came across the transom after I posted the Italian Carol “Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle”. Here is the ORIGINAL version in the original Neapolitan dialect written by St. Alphonsus Liguori. Note the quasi-drone minor key ancient quality that we LOVE, especially in the glorious troped Orbis Factor Kyrie by Ensemble Organum. This Carol/Poem has a similar feel. Rorate Caeli posted the full translation – they have it broken into SIXTEEN stanzas, in delightfully non-fluent English, hence its eighteen minute length. But it is the first time it has ever been translated into English.
Oh, and once more, THANK YOU. And Merry Christmas!!!!!
Pray to the Infant Jesus for Pope Benedict XVI, the Papacy which the selfsame Infant Jesus established in the fullness of time, and for Holy Mother Church.