The Light of Christmas

December is the darkest month of the year. The days are shorter, and the dark hours take over the night.  Waiting for the dawn of morning, we feel the renewal of a new hope.  

Every year, my wife and I have an advent wreath.  There are many symbols and rituals around the lighting of the candles.  Four candles represent the weeks leading up to Christmas day and the lighting of the fifth candle for the Birth of Jesus Christ.

"The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas."  What is Advent? | USCCB   

Waiting for the light of Christ gives us hope just as we wait for the dawn of a new day. And beyond Advent and Christmas, this hope will continue throughout the year as we are in constant preparation for the second coming of Christ. 

What is preparation?

We must have our souls ready. We are both body and soul and when Christ comes again, He will be here to judge the depths of our souls to determine our worthiness to meet the Father in Heaven. 

In the next few weeks, take the time to reflect in prayer and prepare for Christ's coming.

Photo - pixabay - fincayra0204  

My 2 Cents Worth

It has been a long time since I posted something about all the world's current wars.  Mainly Ukraine and Israel.  About a year ago, I gave my opinion about the war in Ukraine primarily because of my opinions about the tactics and strategies. But with the two current wars, much of the politics goes deeper than the general public hears. I don't have any inside information on this. It's just my opinion. 

Ukraine, the bottom line here, it's about the equipment, supplies, and money.  Once this war started, it seemed everyone was on board with supporting their efforts, but now the bottomless pit of draining the American dollars into the war efforts does not have an endpoint. It's time to stop the funding of this war. It is mainly because it is exhausting not only dollars from our economy but is now depleting our military supplies, making us more vulnerable.

Israel, the United States, has always been in support of this small country in the Middle East. It ties with the Judo-Christian values of America as the main focus, plus it's an excellent ally to have in that region. The countries surrounding Israel are not allies with the United States.  American involvement should be limited.  Israel was attacked, and it is their war.  They seem to be advancing and have the military strength to finish. 

The United States needs to stay out of any significant conflicts.  Our economy is in a shambles.  The politicians in Washington are fighting among themselves.  The citizens have been divided politically, and morality does not exist. 

God help us all.

Perfin

A small hobby I have is stamp collecting.  I mainly collect used stamps.  This stamp is called a perfin, which stands for perforated initials.  It was once used in business to discourage theft of business postage.  

Changing Temperatures

I haven't posted anything in a while. I'm trying to catch up on things I haven't done in the last several months. I'm not looking forward to the upcoming months. It's winter in the South. The colder temperatures are not something we generally have to cope with, but it can get frigid here.  There was a time last winter when it was sub-zero for almost a week. Rolling power outages didn't make the situation any better. The winter sets in from the end of December to the end of February.  

The end of November is here. I wanted to post more about Veterans and Thanksgiving. Still, we can do that any time as we all should in giving thanks for the many blessings and gratitude for the Armed Forces of the United States and the veterans that have contributed to the military might that America has known for 248 years.     

Fall 7

 

November

 This month is dedicated to the Veterans and Thanksgiving.

They both seem to go hand in hand.

Also, the last month of fall.  I will probably post more pictures of the fall trees.  In this part of the South, November's colors are always brighter.

Morning Offering Prayer

 Morning Offering Prayer

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day

for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,

for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,

and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.

Amen.

Fall 6

Fall 5

Fall 4

 

Fall 3

 

Fall 2

Fall 1

The leaves here have not changed overall.  I'm guessing it will probably be another week.

Here is a picture from last year at about the same time.

October

 

The month of October.

The changing of color and season.

This month is the time of the year when the temperatures are almost perfect and the transformation of the color of leaves on the trees begins. 

I'm considering posting pictures of trees this month to capture the color transformation of the trees. 

Reason

Our ability to reason is what separates us from the animals. Animals function on instinct, which is built in by God.  On the other hand, we can think through daily situations.  The wonderment we experience takes us deeper into the thought of creation and interacting with those around us. Reason can also be detrimental to our healthy being when it is interrupted by mental illness or drugs.  We probably have all taken this ability for granted because it's there; it's part of our process like your heart beating.  

Take a moment to thank God for your reasoning ability. 

The Next Big Thing?

What is the next big thing to happen?

  

There is so much going on now in the world.  The number of events happening is hard to track, and these are not from a local viewpoint.  

What am I referring to? 

The tension in Europe with the threat of World War III

AI - artificial intelligence, no one really knows how to control it. 

In the United States - there is a massive influx of people from all over the world crossing our southern border. The last reports are 10,000 crossing daily. 

The immorality of society. 

The financial markets are down. 

Rumors of food shortages in the winter. 

How does anyone prepare for any of this? 

Some things are not in our control, while others we can do. The more important matter here is to pray.  We can ask God to help us during these difficult times for help. Praying is not difficult; it's just a conversation with God. Sometimes, we do all the talking; sometimes, God does, but we must be open to hearing Him.  

Proverbs 4:10-19

The Two Ways

Hear, my son, and receive my words,

and the years of your life shall be many.

On the way of wisdom I direct you,

I lead you on straight paths.

When you walk, your step will not be impeded,

and should you run, you will not stumble.

Hold fast to instruction, never let it go;

keep it, for it is your life.

The path of the wicked do not enter,

nor walk in the way of the evil;

Shun it, do not cross it,

turn aside from it, pass on.

For they cannot rest unless they have done evil;

if they do not trip anyone they lose sleep.

For they eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

But the path of the just is like shining light,

that grows in brilliance till perfect day.

The way of the wicked is like darkness;

they do not know on what they stumble.

Illegal Invasion

Most of the time, I will look at the various news feeds to find articles. But yesterday, I watched several videos of trains on their way to the US border with hundreds or probably thousands of illegals on board to make their way to eventually cross over into the United States.  This is an absolute invasion of the United States. The term invasion means they are coming here illegally to take over this country. The only difference between this and a military take-over is these are not organized military units with commanders leading the charge to take over.  But it still holds true the United States is being overrun.  Our social systems will be overburdened, costing the U.S. taxpayer millions to pay for someone illegally here.  

I come from a long history within my family of immigrants coming to the U.S., but they came here legally. This country has always been built on the foundation of people from other countries from the early days of the English colonists. We are the melting pot of the world.  But the one thing that should be absolutely enforced is the legal process of entry.

Follow the link for the new story 

Mexico railway halts train operations after viral video showing migrants riding to the US (msn.com) 

Photo - pixabay - 12019 

The Stuff

We go through a lifetime of gathering stuff.  The stuff is the things you buy in the stores that are non-food items. At some point, we all buy things that get our attention. And we go through the phases of the stuff that caught our eye to be discarded or put into a closet and forgotten about. Not all folks have this luxury.  We all have to think of those who do not have those things some of us take for granted; with that said, if you happen to be cleaning out your closet, think about the stuff you might give away because it could be a true treasure to someone who doesn't.  

We all must try to keep in focus where our true treasures are.

Treasure in Heaven. 

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.

But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Matthew 6: 19-21 

      

The State of New Mexico Governor

The governor of the State of New Mexico recently stated a proclamation to put into effect a temporary ban on concealed and open-carry firearms in public. 

This is a direct attack on the 2nd Amendment. She is facing backlash, and rightly so; I believe this is just another way for the Democrats to "test the waters." How much can they say or do to add to the liberal agenda? The interesting thing about this is that the only people it will affect are the law-abiding citizens.  Does anyone really believe the criminals are going to follow the law? The answer: of course not.  If criminals followed the law, they would not be criminals. Plain and simple.

For more information on this story follow the link below:

"Controversial Democrat Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico recently made headlines for placing a temporary ban on concealed and open carry of firearms in public." (American Insider)

Enraged Democrat Governor Says She Doesn’t Need Sheriff’s ‘Lecture’ on Constitutionality (msn.com)