January 2022
Creeks, rivers, and other forms of moving water, including ice, manifest the flow of life itself. A gurgling stream or rushing river, even in midwinter's rest, is the sign that new life is coming forth, even when it is not yet perceptible in a snow-covered landscape. Our life in Christ begins through the saving water of Baptism; since this is so, we have an obligation to protect and save the water. Water pollution is widespread, denying safe drinking water to millions of people.
Overview of January[1]
The first nine days of January fall during the liturgical season known as Christmas which is represented by the liturgical color white — the color of light, a symbol of joy, purity and innocence (absolute or restored). The remaining days of January are the beginning of liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Epiphany), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during prayer of Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.
In the first part of January, we continue to rejoice and celebrate Christ's coming at Bethlehem and in our hearts. We have the wonderful feasts of Mary, Mother of God, where we honor Mary's highest title, and then we follow the Magi to the crib as they bring their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh on Epiphany. Finally, we reach the culmination of this season with the Baptism of Our Lord by St. John the Baptist. With a touch of sadness, we take down our decorations and enter into the liturgical period known as Ordinary Time where we will devote ourselves to the mystery of Christ in its entirety.
The Winter Season
The opening days of January may be cold and nature bleak, but the domestic church still glows warm with the peace and joy of Christmas. We dedicate the New Year to Mary on the January 1st Solemnity honoring her as Mother of God; and on January 7, the Solemnity of Epiphany, we rejoice with her, as her Son is adored by the three Wise Men.
Herald John, who ushered in the Advent season, is present once again to close Christmastide on the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord (The First Luminous Mystery), and to open the Season of Ordinary Time. He points to Jesus, the Lamb of God who unites time and eternity in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and even January’s diminishing darkness seems to echo St. John’s prayer: “He must increase, and I must decrease.”
In this liturgical season the Church eagerly follows Our Lord as he gathers his apostles and announces his mission. At Cana’s wedding feast (The Second Luminous Mystery) he performs his first public miracle at the request of his Mother, and his disciples saw his glory and believed in him.
We, his present-day disciples pray for a like faith as we contemplate the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb and the unique role of the Blessed Mother in the plan of salvation. May we wholeheartedly obey her words of counsel: “Do whatever he tells you.”
January
Travel for the Unafraid[2]
January 1-30 Jasper in January CANADA
January 1-30 Stay
at a Ice Hotel Sweden
January 1-Coney
Island Plunge NY
January 1-15 See the Trains in
the Garden NY
January 5-9 2022
Walt Disney World Marathon FL
January 5-Harbin Ice Festival CHINA
January 5-10 Steamboat
Music fest CO
January 8-Elvis Birthday Celebration
TN
January 9-12 Consumer
Electronics Show NV
·
NOTE: You MUST be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
to pick up a badge and access CES in-person in Las Vegas. CES recommends you
test for COVID-19 prior to departing for Las Vegas and within 24 hours of
entering a CES venue.
January 13-16 Winterskol Aspen CO
January 14-28 North
American Auto Show DETROIT
January 19-23 LA
Art Show CA
January 20-30 Sundance
Film Fest UT
January 26-30 Foodie Fest FL
JANUARY 1 First Saturday
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD-NEW YEARS DAY
Sirach, Chapter 3, Verse 7
Those who FEAR the Lord honor their father and serve their parents as masters.
Besides the virtues that must characterize our conduct toward God, special duties are enjoined, such as honor and respect toward parents, with corresponding blessings. By showing such respect especially to old and infirm parents, the sins of children are pardoned. Failure to honor father and mother is blasphemy and merits a curse from God (v. 16)[3]
First Saturday[4]
The elements of this devotion, therefore, consist in the
following four points, all of which must be offered in reparation to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
1.
Confession: This confession can be made before
the First Saturday or afterward, provided that Holy Communion be received in
the state of grace. In 1926, Christ in a vision explained to Lucia (Fatima)
that this confession could be made a week before or even more, and that it
should be offered in reparation.
2.
Holy
Communion: Before
receiving Holy Communion, it is likewise necessary to offer it in reparation to
Our Lady. Our Lord told Lucia in 1930, “This Communion will be accepted on the
following Sunday for just reasons, if my priests allow it so.” So, if work or school, sickness, or
another just reason prevents the Communion on a First Saturday, with this
permission it may be received the following Sunday. If Communion is
transferred, any or all of the other acts of the devotion may also be performed
on Sunday if the person so desires.
3.
Rosary: The Rosary is a vocal prayer said
while meditating upon the mysteries of Our Lord’s life and Passion and Our Lady’s life. To comply with
the request of our Blessed Mother, it must be offered in reparation and said
properly while meditating.
4.
15-minute
meditation: Also
offered in reparation, the meditation may embrace one or more mysteries; it may
include all, taken together or separately. This meditation should be the
richest of any meditation, because Our Lady promised to be present when she
said “...those who keep me company....”
Solemnity of Mary
For Catholics, today is a holy day of obligation to honor Mary the Mother of God the second Eve: who is the first example of courage. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. (Luke 1:30-31)
On my 2006 visit to Israel my wife and I
visited and had Mass on the Mount of the Beatitudes. I remember our
Priests were a little miffed with the little sister who worked there. She
was upset with us because it was a warm day and some in our group had taken off
their sweaters and their arms were exposed. She was focused on the rules, as
Christ pointed out to the Pharisees who were focused on the outside of the cup
being clean rather than the inside being clean. Similarly, the beatitudes
of our Lord seek to not do away with the rules (10 commandments) but points at
our inner dispositions. I think Church of the Beatitudes which an octagon
(eight sided) is best represents how me should seek to best conform our hearts
and our dispositions to be more like that of Christ. On the floor of the
Church of the Beatitudes are eight mosaics with words in Latin. They
reflect the dispositions of our Lord which we are to emulate.
1. Charitas (a heart that burns with love of God and
benevolence toward others)
2. Prvdentia (forethought or prudence. Those who are
Prudent are far from indecisive, for their bold decisions bear no streaks of
doubt. Prudence disposes us to have a true care and concern for the health and
wellbeing of others)
3. Lavs
Tibi Christi (Praise God in
all that we do)
4. Temperantia (Temperance is a spirit of moderation and
personal restraint; to keep ourselves in balance physically, mentally,
spiritually and emotionally)
5. Fides (Faith in God; to trust Him; to give
yourself as He gave Himself)
6. Fortitvdo (fortitude and courage. We must have
the courage to allow Christ to increase in us)
7. Spes (Hope. We must hope in the good news
of Christ and trust ourselves in the church as we would a ship upon the waters)
8. Ivstitia (Justice. Christ compels us to not ignore others, to understand others, not to rationalize and/or justify our questionable acts, do right even at risk of ourselves, and to pray for others.
Solemnity
of Mary, Mother of God - Day Eight of Christmas[5]
Although
New Year's Day is not celebrated by the Church, this day has been observed as a
holy day of obligation since early times due to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother
of God. Each family and country have different traditional foods to eat on New
Year's Day, with lentils being the main superstition: ill luck befalling those
who do not eat lentils at the beginning of the year.
New
Year's is a day of traditional hospitality, visiting and good cheer, mostly
with a secular view, but there is no reason that this day, too, could not be
sanctified in Christ.
·
Day Eight activity (New Year's Day Party)
· Day Eight recipe (New Year's Pretzel)
8th day of Christmas The Eight Maids a milking is a sign for the eight beatitudes.
Today would be a good day to reflect on them.
- Blessed
are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed
are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
- Blessed
are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their
fill.
- Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
- Blessed
are the clean of heart: they shall see God.
- Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
- Blessed
are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Feast of the Circumcision[6]
The Feast of the
Circumcision combines and celebrates many things. On the one hand, the feast
celebrates the Octave of the Nativity and the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin
Mary (partially because the pope celebrated Mass in St. Mary Major on this
day). On the other hand, it commemorates the Circumcision of our Lord which,
though a cause of joy, is the cause of a more subdued kind of joy because it
involves the shedding of our Lord's blood. There is also a tradition in the
Roman church of penitence as a counterpoint to the pagan reveling of the day (a
counterpoint which is necessary as much today as it was then). The Church
delicately balances all of these elements in a single feast to God.
· As mentioned above, it is traditional in France for adults to exchange gifts on this day. This custom is known as les étrennes.
·
Today, on the day in which St. Joseph circumcised
our Lord (thereby consecrating him for God's holy service), was the festival
for subdeacons
New
Year’s Day and the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord.[7]
WHY do we call this New Year’s Day? Because the civil year begins on this day, as the ecclesiastical does on the first Sunday in Advent.
What ought we to do on this day? We must dedicate the New Year to the service of God, in order that, assisted by His grace, we may both begin and end it to His honor, and our own sanctification.
Why do we wish each other a happy New Year? To renew love and harmony, and to fulfil an obligation of charity by wishes for each other’s happiness and prosperity.
What feast does the Church celebrate on this day? The circumcision of Christ, at which He received the name of Jesus. “But when the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that He might redeem them that were under the law (Gal. iv. 4, 5).
Aspiration.
O my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I thank Thee for having to-day shed Thy blood for the first time for me. Grant me, I beseech Thee, the grace of mortifying, circumcising for Thy love, my eyes, ears, lips, hands, feet, and all my sensual appetites, that I may not see, hear, speak, touch, wish, or do any evil. Amen.
Prayer.
O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of the blessed Mary hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us, through whom we have received the Author of life, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
GOSPEL. Luke ii. 21.
At that time: After eight days were accomplished that the child should be circumcised: His name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Why
was Christ circumcised the eighth day of His birth?
1. So that by fulfilling the Jewish law, He might
teach us patience and obedience to the law of God, and to His holy Church.
2. To show His infinite love to us in the very first days of His life. Who gave Him the name of Jesus? God Himself gave it to Him, Who came to save the world and sanctify us, for Jesus means Savior. It is, therefore, that holy and powerful name, whereby alone we can be saved (Acts iv. 12).
What
power has this name?
A divine power: for in this name the apostles cast out devils and cured the sick (Mark xvi. 17, 18), as, for instance, the lame man who lay at the gate of the temple (Acts iii. 2-6). Through this name we receive from God whatever is helpful towards our salvation (John xiv. 13). It is well, therefore, to call on this holy name in adversities, in doubts, and in great temptations, particularly such as are hostile to purity. Even when we are so unhappy as to fall into sin, the remembrance of this holy name may bring us back to virtue, for it is as oil which en lightens, nourishes, and heals (Canticles i. 2, 3).
How must we speak this holy name, that its virtue may be felt?
With the greatest devotion and veneration, and with unbounded confidence; for, as St. Paul says, “in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth” (Phil. ii. 10). How sinful, therefore, is it in some to speak this name almost at every word, frivolously and disrespectfully; a habit which, in this country particularly, is so widely and fatally prevalent.
Prayer for New Year’s Day.
New
Year's Day[8]
New Year's Day marks the start of a new year on the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was first introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and began to be used in Britain and its colonies in 1751. It is a solar calendar which maintains synchrony with the tropical year. This holiday is celebrated every year on January 1st.
New Year's Day Facts
· Baby New Year is the most common symbol
associated with this holiday. He is a toddler dressed in a diaper, hat,
and sash bearing the numbers of the New Year. The myth states that he
matures into an old man during the course of the year. On December 31st,
he hands his hat and sash to the new Baby New Year.
· In early Roman calendar New Year was
celebrated on March 1st. The new celebration of New Year on January 1st started
in Rome in 153 BC. The New Year was moved to January because it was a month
when two newly elected Roman consuls began their tenure, which reflected the
beginning of civil year.
· In medieval Europe celebrations of New Year
on January 1st were not always observed. Sometimes it was celebrated on Dec.
25th, March 1st and March 25th (The Feast of the Annunciation).
· Gregorian calendar came into force in 1582, which replaced the Julian calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. After adoption of Gregorian calendar, January 1st was restored as New Year’s Day.
New Year's Day Top Events and Things to Do
· Visit Times Square and watch the ball drop
in New York City to celebrate the New Year.
· Sing Auld Lang Sine and kiss a
loved one at the stroke of midnight.
· Make new resolutions for the upcoming year
and let go of what happened in the previous one.
· Take advantage of New Year's Eve skiing at a
local ski hill near you. Usually, the hills are less crowded and offer
discounts on this holiday.
· New Year – means new trails to hike. Go hiking on a New Year’s Day to make a good start from day one and get motivated.
Polar Bear Swim Day[9]
Strip down to your bathing suit,
take a few steps over the snow and ice covering the ground, and hurl your body
into ice-cold water. Sound like fun? Well, there are plenty of people who
think it does, and these people get together to this every year! Sometimes it’s
for charity and sometimes it’s just for a challenge, but either way, thousands
of people worldwide take to the icy winter waters every year. These swims are
understandably called “Polar Bear Swims”, and they usually take place in the
sea.
Polar Bear Swims have been
practiced for well over a hundred years in different countries. The first
recorded Polar Bear Swim took place in Boston 1904. In many Canadian
communities, plunging into icy water for a swim is a New Year’s Day
tradition. Vancouver’s annual Polar Bear Swim Club has been active since 1920
and usually has 1,000 to 2,000 registered participants every New Year’s
Day, with a record 2,128 registrants taking part in the Polar Bear Swim in
English Bay in 2000.
It would seem that he Netherlands
have greatly outdone North America, as about 10,000 people have been
diving into the icy cold sea water at Scheveningen, The Netherlands’ main
beach resort town, every year since 1960. In fact, it is estimated that all
over the Netherlands, 30,000 people take part in what they call
“Nieuwjaarsduik” New Year’s dive) each and every year.
New Year’s Day is thought to be the
best day for this kind of swim, because as many participants have noted,
after you’ve done that, no challenge the New Year could bring could possibly
phase you. However, some swimming clubs organize regular winter
sessions. Plungapalooza is the largest polar bear plunge in the United
States, held annually at Sandy Point State Park in Maryland.
The event, that raises funds for
the Special Olympics, has managed to collect millions of dollars. The largest
Plungapalooza to date took place in 2008, with an estimated 12,000 people
participating.
How to Celebrate Polar Bear
Swim Day
·
It’s
actually quite simple: take part! Find out where the nearest Polar Bear Swim
Day will be organized, and sign up. You can help raise money for those who need
it, meet new friends and make some incredible memories! However, you should
keep in mind that human beings don’t have the fat and fur that polar bears
have to protect them from the cold.
·
Enter
the water slowly so it’s not too much of a shock, and be sure to have a towel
and dry clothes ready for as soon as you come out of the water. You should also
warm your body up afterwards from the inside out with a hot drink or bowl of
soup. The Polar Bear Swim is also not right for everyone, as it triggers many
intense bodily reactions—you may start to hyperventilate because of the
inability to take a deep breath for the first 30 seconds or so, and your
heartbeat and blood pressure will probably increase drastically.
·
So,
if you have any heart condition or have the tendency to panic, you may be
better off standing on the shore in your nice warm coat, hat and scarf, taking
pictures and laughing at the people running right back out of the water as
quickly as they ran into it. Either way, you will be able to be part of the
fun!
Over time, we as humans have developed a different attitude towards nature and we've forgotten about our inner power. This is the ability of our body to adapt to extreme temperature and survive within our natural environment. The Wim Hof Method is based on this principle.
Because we wear clothes and artificially control the temperatures at home and at work, we've greatly reduced the natural stimulation of our bodies, atrophying the age-old mechanisms related to our survival and basic function. Because these deeper physiological layers are no longer triggered, our bodies are no longer in touch with this inner power. The inner power is a powerful force that can be reawakened by stimulating these physiological processes through the Wim Hof Method.
Start learning the Wim Hof Method today
and start your journey to a happier, healthier and stronger you.
300 Club[11]
The 300 Club is a small number of individuals who have endured a temperature difference of 300° Fahrenheit (166 °C) within a very short time. The group originated at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, and has since been established in North America. The Ceremonial South Pole, which 300 Club participants must run around. Participants in the Antarctic 300 Club wait for a day when the temperature drops to −100 °F (-73 °C) for more than a few minutes, generally in the winter. They first warm up in a sauna heated to 200 °F (93 °C) for as long as 10 minutes. Then they run naked to the Geographic South Pole, circling it in the −100 °F weather. After this, they usually warm up in the sauna again, often with the aid of alcoholic beverages. The first 300 Club outside of Antarctica was established on January 30, 2019 near Minneapolis, Minnesota during a polar vortex. With an outside temperature of −27 °F (−33 °C), three men heated their backyard sauna to 280 °F (138 °C) and sat inside for 10 minutes. Upon exiting the sauna, they sprinted around a flagpole planted in honor of the South Pole tradition, and took a brief roll in the snow before returning to the sauna. There are several patches made to commemorate the occasion that are entitled to be worn by those who have joined the 300 Club.
250 Club[12]
Brillo and I decided to use the day off to
head on over to the South Pole ourselves.
It was about a half a mile away, but it took us a lot longer than we
thought. It was slow trekking the
distance through the loose snow. Along
the way, we passed a railroad sign that some humorous person put up out
there. When we got there, our intent was
While we were in the sauna,
we decided today was the day we were going to join club 250. As soon as we got so warm, we couldn’t stand
it anymore; we jumped out of the sauna with nothing but our boots running the
distance from the sauna; up a 100-foot ramp to the outside of the station where
it was about 50 below zero. Thus, the
name, club 250, we went from plus 200 to minus 50 and made a 250-degree
temperature change.
We ran over to the international marker for
the South Pole with signs to all the different places and flags from many
nations. It was interesting because even
though Brillo was right next to me all I saw was a cloud because his body was
giving off so much steam. When we got to
the international marker, we ran around the pole three times and then headed
back to the sauna. I mean think about it
we just ran around the world naked three times.
“Can you dig it” (70’s slang for Do you understand?)
Brillo and I quickly headed back to the
sauna as we were just beginning to lose our steam.
Daily Devotions
· Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/01.cfm
[2]https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/travel-tips/articles/travel-calendar
[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-01-01
[6]http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/xmascustoms.html#circumcision
[7]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896. In the General Roman
Calendar, the 1 January feast, which from 1568 to 1960 was called
"The Circumcision of the Lord and the Octave of the Nativity",
is now named the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the Octave Day of
the Nativity of the Lord.
[8]https://www.wincalendar.com/New-Years-Day
[9]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/polar-bear-swim-day/
[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_Club#The_200_Club
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