Happy Feast Day of St. Ambrose of Milan December 7

 

What do the Advent Candles on the Advent Wreath Represent?

 

There are 4 Advent candles - one for each of the four Sundays of Advent. They represent the following:

Week 1: Hope

Week 2: Love

Week 3: Peace

Week 4: Joy

Readings for December 6 2020

 These come from https://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_reading/?select_date=2020-12-06

Reading 1, Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11

1 'Console my people, console them,' says your God.

2 'Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and cry to her that her period of service is ended, that her guilt has been atoned for, that, from the hand of Yahweh, she has received double punishment for all her sins.'

3 A voice cries, 'Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God across the wastelands.

4 Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be levelled, every cliff become a plateau, every escarpment a plain;

5 then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed and all humanity will see it together, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.'

9 Go up on a high mountain, messenger of Zion. Shout as loud as you can, messenger of Jerusalem! Shout fearlessly, say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God.'

10 Here is Lord Yahweh coming with power, his arm maintains his authority, his reward is with him and his prize precedes him.

11 He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

9 His saving help is near for those who fear him, his glory will dwell in our land.

10 Faithful Love and Loyalty join together, Saving Justice and Peace embrace.

11 Loyalty will spring up from the earth, and Justice will lean down from heaven.

12 Yahweh will himself give prosperity, and our soil will yield its harvest.

13 Justice will walk before him, treading out a path.

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Gospel, Mark 1:1-8

1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 It is written in the prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you.

3 A voice of one that cries in the desert: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 John the Baptist was in the desert, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

5 All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.

6 John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey.

7 In the course of his preaching he said, 'After me is coming someone who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals.

8 I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.'

Reading 2, Second Peter 3:8-14

8 But there is one thing, my dear friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

9 The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather is he being patient with you, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to repentance.

10 The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and melt away, the earth and all that it contains will be burned up.

11 Since everything is coming to an end like this, what holy and saintly lives you should be living

12 while you wait for the Day of God to come, and try to hasten its coming: on that Day the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat.

13 What we are waiting for, relying on his promises, is the new heavens and new earth, where uprightness will be at home.

14 So then, my dear friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live blameless and unsullied lives so that he will find you at peace.

And now for some serious fun

The famous Fr. Z posted this on his blog. I thought it was funny.

And now for some serious fun

Happy Feast Day of St. Nicholas of Myra

 

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life EGO SVM VIA ET VERITAS ET VITA

Jesus Christ says:

"EGO SVM VIA ET VERITAS ET VITA"

which translates to:

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

Starting Your Own Catholic Catechism Class

In September 2019, I felt the need to have greater and more in depth catechesis. Much of what I had received up to that point in various groups and events was good but it wasn't providing adequate detail. I had already been listening to a Youtube channel called "Sensus Fidelium" and in particular a priest by the name of Fr. Chad Ripperger. He would go into great amounts of detail in describing various tenets of the faith. I found that quite appealing in contrast to a trend I had noticed which was to aim for less and less detail.

With all of this in mind, I decided I wanted to start my own catechism group with some people I knew. I wanted to choose the right people, people who would contribute and be interested in the topics discussed. I didn't want people who would undermine what we were talking about or always bring it around to an unrelated topic.

I wasn't necessarily looking for people based on their level of knowledge. I just wanted some men who would be open to discussing the catechism. In fact, I sought high and low for a good guide to use when discussing these topics. I look at various books on moral theology, faith studies, guides, etc. I couldn't quite pick something. I even spoke to some priests. After giving it some more thought, I decided we could simply use the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

We used the latest edition from 2000 promulgated by Pope John Paul II. I know some people make take issue with this edition and prefer an older edition. There is nothing wrong with that. This one was just the most accessible. I will get into why the edition is not of grave concern later.

So once I had decided on who to invite and what reference we would use, I set about planning on how to best tackle this large resource. The catechism is 846 pages and has copious footnotes. For every footnote, you could find a whole other work with plenty to read. So it's something of a daunting task.

We started covering the catechism in September 2019. We have had some breaks and hiatuses throughout this period, but we are still not done over a year later. My approach was to divide the book into manageable sections for discussion. I would try to split it into logical sections, not just random page numbers. Once the sections were divided, there would be a new group member who would present their section each week. With 5 people in the group, each person would have 5 weeks to prepare their section.

To give you an example, right now we are covering the 10 commandments. This was easy to divvy up - one commandment per person. Some parts are a little more tricky. But the main thing is trying to have a connected theme.

This format has worked well. People have used all kinds of multimedia to make their presentations. It isn't a strict format and each person is allowed to create their own work and their own approach. Some like to be the only ones talking while others like to involve the audience a lot more. As long as the topics are being covered, that's the main thing.

I would encourage everyone who wants to learn their faith more to start one of these groups. We have our every Thursday around 7:00pm. This makes it nice and consistent. Our group consists entirely of men at the moment for the most part. I like this arrangement. It allows men to discuss things from their unique perspective. Women can certainly do the same thing.

Let me know in the comments section what you think about this idea for learning the faith. Look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Feast Day of St. Francis Xavier December 3

 

Why are Advent Calendars always so inaccurate?

I was checking out Google for trending topics and one that came up was Taco Bell Advent Calendar. It seemed rather specific. I did some research and found out they had these "calendars" which contained 12 "prizes". I'm not sure where they got 12 from. I'm assuming it's because it's half of 24, which is the normal size of an Advent calendar these days.

But why are there 24 days on Advent calendars. It's inaccurate 86% of the time. The reason is pretty simple. To avoid having to print a different Advent calendar every year, companies produce the same one and just begin it on December 1 and it ends on December 24. Usually it's arranged in 4 rows of 6 days.

This is inaccurate. Advent ranges from 22 to 28 days inclusive. It can start as early as November 27 and as late as Dec. 3. I wrote about this on a previous blog which you can find here titled "The Date of Advent". The blog goes into a lot of detail as to the dates of Advent and why the length varies from year to year.

So the calendars out there are inaccurate, as only 1 in 7 years does Advent actually begin on December 1. This happens when December 1 is a Sunday. That means Advent calendars will become valid again in December 2024, and every 7 years after that.

The Taco Bell Advent Calendar is particularly bad, having only 12 blocks. I don't even know if they have particular days associated with each block.

I'm not really sure the purpose of Advent calendars to begin with. Advent is a time of spiritual preparation. How does it make sense to give little candies and goodies throughout this time. If anything, people should be giving up these things, detaching themselves, so as to get more out of Advent.

But as usual, it seems this is simply a ploy by businesses to take advantage of the season. I can't really blame them, they are simply catering to the desires of customers. The general populace pays relatively little attention to the spiritual aspects of Advent and opts instead for the gifts and pleasures of Christmas which they celebrate early.

Ironically once the Christmas season is actually here, many people abandon it early. So they start celebrating early only to stop celebrating early also. Makes very little sense. Hopefully people will reclaim a spiritual aspect to their Advent season this year.

Ellen Page now "Elliot" Page? - a Catholic view on transgenderism

Ellen Page, a well-known actress, says she is no longer Ellen Page, but rather Elliot Page. Once referred to in the feminine, articles have automatically started to refer to her as he and "they". To me it's kind of strange. Without skipping a beat, every reference to this person who used to be her and she will now be his and they. No questions asked. Just seems eerie to me.

It used to be that people undergoing so-called sex-change operations would openly say they are changing from male to female or vice versa. However, that of course had to be modified as well. It went on the euphemism treadmill. First it was sex-change, then gender re-assignment, but that wasn't good enough. A new philosophy emerged which stated that the people who were undergoing these operations were not "changing" their genders or sex. Rather, they were simply "being who they are": A woman trapped in a man's body or a man trapped in a woman's body.

Who knows what anyone will come up with next. It's all made up as they go along. This gets into a broader topic of words and definitions. The left is continually attacking words. It started some time ago. People started becoming less and less precise in their use of words. At first it was similar words being used perhaps slightly incorrectly. However, it soon went further. Words were weaponized as in 1984. Up was down, left was right. Someone discovered that all you had to do was slap a euphemistic label on something and bam, everything is alright.

Fr. Ripperger is one of my favorite preachers. One thing that makes him great is that every time he uses a particular word for the first time, he defines it. He is very precise in his use of language. This is an important skill which has been largely ignored unfortunately. If people use and are aware of precise language, concepts can be communicated very precisely. If not, communication conveys only very vague ideas.

In the case of transgenderism, the whole movement is about manipulating language in order to advance acceptance. Distinctions, which should be made, are deemed irrelevant at best. So, we are told we must "accept people". This is very broad and muddles various concepts. Because of the imprecision of language that is being advanced, not accepting any aspect of transgenderism is considered offensive and wrong. The Catholic point of view would be that God gives men and women their genders at conception. We cannot change what God has created. However, if someone chooses to manipulate how they are seen or, in fact, their own bodies, although we oppose this, we still give them the dignity they deserve as human beings. They are committing acts which are objectively sinful, but perhaps due to their own poor judgment are not personally culpable. This is especially the case given our current world.

My point is that by making distinctions we avoid the two extremes. One extreme says hate everything about this person and what they do. The other extreme says love and accept everything this person does. Neither is correct. 99% of people out there have or continue to commit sin. We don't throw the baby out with the bath water. We always must strive to help people who live in sin.

Denying God's creation in our lives is not giving proper reverence and obedience to him. We are saying we are above God, he doesn't choose my sex and gender, I do. This is fundamentally wrong. Our parents brought us forth through an act of intimate love. We owe them our lives. This is something I am learning more deeply with regards to the fourth commandment of honoring our mother and father. We are not meant to be autonomous self-directing entities. We in fact fall within a hierarchy, with God being at the head. We can never usurp his authority.

Beyond this, transgenderism involves doing violence to one's body and often involves mutilation. This is gravely wrong as we cannot purposely injure part of ourselves which is designed for good and is healthy.

Part of this whole problem stems from our separation of the marital act from procreation. When sex is viewed as a recreational activity with no true end, it can be used for many and varied purposes. The very idea of male and female, which is foundational to the human person, become abstractions and irrelevant. Catholics who have followed these developments know this all stems from sexual immorality, and in particular, in the acceptance of contraception. Contraception allows for the idea that sex is separate from procreation. This makes possible so many of the evils related to the sixth commandment that we see in today's world.

I wish Ellen Page the best in her life and hope that she comes to a realization of what she is doing beyond her own misinformed whim. Pray for her.

Advent Preparation Guide 2020

As we know, in our modern-day secular world, there is no distinction made between Advent and Christmas. Usually right after Halloween, Christmas stuff starts appearing. Out of respect for soldiers, some people wait until after November 11 to begin decorating for the season. However, this is far too early according to the Christian Calendar.

In the Catholic Church, everything is governed by seasons. As the Bible says, there is a time and place for everything in our universe. Prior to great celebrations in the Church, we strive to strip away our inordinate attachments to the material world to be better prepared for the spiritual significance of the season we will celebrate.

The most famous of such times is Lent which is a preparation for the most important season of the Christian calendar - Easter. The meaning of Easter has nothing to do with material goods, but rather it has everything to do with spiritual goods.

In the same way, Advent is our way of preparation for the upcoming feast of Christmas. Christmas is a spiritual reality. Unfortunately, our modern society focuses almost exclusively on the material aspect - how many gifts will you receive or give. At most the secular world will say that Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones. Rarely do they discuss the true reason and meaning for Advent and Christmas.

Christmas is a celebration of the Second Person of the Trinity becoming incarnate to dwell among us to bring salvation to the whole world. Jesus was, in a sense, born to carry out his mission which was to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice on Calvary for the salvation of souls. His incarnation and birth made this possible. Our job on Earth is to unite ourselves more fully with God and to receive his Grace. One of the things that stands in our way to achieving this is our attachments to material or created goods. These attachments prevent us from achieving a closer spiritual union with our Creator.

Advent is a great opportunity, sort of a lesser Lent (in terms of penance), to remove some attachment to the material world and move closer to God. That way we can more fully celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

To that end, I found an excellent Advent preparation. This comes from reginaprophetarum.org. I have transcribed it here into regular text. Feel free to print this off and use it as a guide as you prepare for the coming of the Savior of the World.

ADVENT IS COMING

THE FOUR WEEKS OF ADVENT are set apart by the Church to commemorate the ages that intervened between the fall of our first parents and the birth of  Christ which we celebrate at Christmas. It is a Season of special prayer and  penance mingled with joyful expectation, and calculated to prepare our souls for a worthy keeping of this great solemnity. Advent is also the beginning of the  ecclesiastical year, and as each succeeding year brings us closer to the Second Coming of Christ as Judge of the world, this holy time is likewise intended to make us ready to meet our Judge. Such preparation is best achieved by seeking sanctification through voluntary amendment of life, acts of penance, and works of charity. 

Do not let this time to Grow in Holiness Pass You By!!

Consider the following categories on what we should do for Advent this year.

1. VOLUNTARY AMENDMENT OF LIFE
Give up those things that need to go sooner or later, namely bad habits. Our goal here is to learn to love our souls more than our bodies… to break a bad habit forever and Advent is a good time to do it. Examples: Gossiping, surfing the web without real need, watching T.V., overeating, eating between meals, eating and drinking junk foods (e.g., soda), bad drinking habits, complaining, saying vulgar words, not getting up on time, using a snooze alarm, wasting time playing video games, going to movies, listening to base music, useless chattering on facebook, blogs, and the like, etc. 

In this category I am going to give up _______________________

2. ACTS OF PENANCE
Perform some kind of penance. Our goal here is to train ourselves to say “no” in little things so that we can say “NO” to big temptations later. We can resume doing the things given up here once Advent is over. Examples: Avoid eating or drinking something that we enjoy, such as desserts. Give up eating out, taking completely warm showers, drinking alcoholic beverages, etc... 

In this category I am going to give up _______________________

3. WORKS OF CHARITY
Perform some good and holy action(s). Our goal here is to strengthen our relationship with Christ and His Church. Ideally, what we start here would continue in some way even after Advent is over. Love God more than yourself! Examples: Pray the Rosary everyday, attend daily Mass as much as possible, read the Sacred Scriptures _______ minutes a day, spend _______ additional time everyday with my family, read a life of a saint or saints, increase spiritual reading in place of electronic media, make a daily visit to the Most Blessed Sacrament or shrine of Our Lady.

In this category I am going to _______________________

To get the PDF version, go to http://reginaprophetarum.org/mission_materials/Advent%20is%20Coming.pdf

Supreme Court Orders Preliminary Injunction in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo

Of all the places I have been, churches seem to be most strictly observing Covid regulations. Go into Walmart and Costco and people are just randomly walking all over the place. Contrast this with Mass, where the number of people is very strictly enforced, names and phone numbers are gathered, and people are only allowed to sit in designated areas at least 6 feet apart.

The difference is night and day. Not only that, most of the churches I go to have not one but two announcements regarding how we should proceed to communion in a "safe and respectful" way.

In my opinion, churches are going a little too extreme with all this mass hysteria (excuse the pun). We only have a handful of cases in my province, but this doesn't stop them from pulling out all the stops.

For governments to put much stricter limits on church services than they do on huge retailers is absolutely unacceptable!

Supreme Court Orders Preliminary Injunction in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo

Happy Feast Day of St. Andrew November 30 + Prayer

 

Prayer to St. Andrew

O Glorious St. Andrew,

you were the first to recognize and follow the Son of God.

With your friend, St. John,

you remained with Jesus,

for your entire life,

and now throughout eternity.

Image of St Andrew the Apostle sitting reading

Just as you led your brother, St Peter,

to Christ and many others after him,

draw us also to Him.

Teach us how to lead them,

solely out of love for Jesus

and dedication to His service.

Help us to learn the lesson of the Cross

and carry our daily crosses without complaint,

so that they may carry us to God the Almighty Father. Amen.

Pope Francis's Opinion Piece in the New York Times about Covid: Analysis

Well, at least it wasn't from an airplane this time! Pope Francis once again outdoes himself by writing an opinion piece in the New York Times. You know, because being the Vicar of Christ isn't a big enough deal, he has to be hip and down with the left-wing peeps.

Anyway, his article, in which he mentions the word "pandemic" 5 times, "covid" 4 times, and "Jesus" zero times, is full of exaggerated and emotion-based claims. He doesn't even take other sides of the debate seriously. No, there is only one correct perspective on Covid, everyone else is a heartless monster.

There are some parts of this opinion piece I agree with. The pope starts off his article titled "A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts" by saying that we often think of issues as global rather than individual and we can feel powerless. He encourages people to care for those around them. That's a huge thing in my opinion. Too often, people get involved with causes, and neglect smaller areas where they can actually have an impact.

He continues by describing the medical issues he faced as a youth and some of the encounters he had with medical professionals. He goes on to talk about the current situation and applauds medical professionals who gave their lives serving others. Certainly this is very laudable and perhaps heroically virtuous.

Soon after this however, he goes off the rails. He commends all government lockdowns as making "great efforts to put the well-being of their people first, acting decisively to protect health and to save lives". About any government that did not impose draconian lockdowns, he says "The exceptions have been some governments that shrugged off the painful evidence of mounting deaths, with inevitable, grievous consequences."

Clearly, to Pope Francis, this is a completely black and white issue with no moral ambiguity whatsoever. There is no room for any disagreement. Either you are in favor of strict government lockdowns or you are a horrible person who cares nothing for people.

He is not satisfied, however, to simply mention people opposed to any and all forms of government oppression under the guise of "protecting people". He has to lay a smack-down on them. This is from his letter:

Yet some groups protested, refusing to keep their distance, marching against travel restrictions — as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom! Looking to the common good is much more than the sum of what is good for individuals. It means having a regard for all citizens and seeking to respond effectively to the needs of the least fortunate.

It is all too easy for some to take an idea — in this case, for example, personal freedom — and turn it into an ideology, creating a prism through which they judge everything.

Ah, isn't it nice to simply caricature those with whom you disagree? Makes things rather simple. People who are protesting the lockdowns aren't doing so simply because they feel a concept of personal freedom is being challenged. As if they know there is a huge danger to society without these lockdowns but they refuse to be told what to do.

The reality is that the anti-lockdown side of the equation actually has very solid reasons for disagreeing with the draconian measures being put in place. Destroying the economy isn't some intellectual idea like not being allowed to have frozen yogurt on a particular Saturday. Destroying the economy has huge and devastating impacts on people's lives. This is particularly true in third-world countries. People literally starve to death if they cannot earn an income. They cannot simply apply for unlimited unemployment benefits. Not everyone is so lucky.

There are many negative repercussions to the lockdowns such as increased depression, spousal abuse, drug abuse, people being prevented from seeking medical help, etc. Many of the people opposing the lockdowns say the "cure" is much more devastating than the disease. But no, according to the pope, these people are heartless evildoers who just want to increase suffering because of "concepts".

Another thing is that most anti-lockdown people don't just say anything goes. They want a common-sense approach to dealing with the issue. Protect vulnerable people specifically. Perhaps not everyone has to have the same restrictions. For more age categories, the survivability can be as high as 99.9%. Should our entire civilization be shut down to stop such a disease?

The other big issue in my opinion is the isolation. On the one hand, Pope Francis condemns modern technology such as cell phones and the internet and other technologies and encourages people to meet face to face. Yet somehow he feels this has no value while there is a virus circulating. What about the 90 year old grandmother who sits alone in her nursing home longing to see her children and grandchildren. Is she and her children evil for wanting to see her? As one commentator put it, perhaps she only has a few Christmases or Thanksgivings left. Maybe she is willing to risk Covid to see her family.

On top of all of this, there is credible evidence to show the lockdowns are doing little if anything in terms of Covid. Places that didn't lock down at all are faring very similarly to places that imposed massive restrictions. You won't see this much on Facebook, Youtube, etc as this opinion has been banned.

This is NOT a simplistic good vs. evil question. There is legitimate debate as to what constitutes the best course of action. For the Holy Father to suggest that anyone who dares question their particular leaders with regards to Covid are evil is flat-out wrong. Perhaps he should speak to several people who disagree with his stance to truly find out their perspective. I can guarantee him there are many faithful Catholics in that boat.

And on a side note, I strongly suggest the pope stick with actual moral issues such as the Ten Commandments, the works of Mercy, the seven deadly sins, etc and how to be holier people, instead of always focusing on climate change and whatever else is the topic-du-jour in the leftist world. We need a moral and spiritual leader, not another political one.

Is the Catholic Church Racist for Taking So Long to Appoint Archbishop Gregory to the Cardinalate?

Archbishop Gregory will soon be Cardinal Gregory. I just saw a headline indicating that he will be the first African-American Cardinal in the US. This was a headline on CNN. Of course, they are trying to present this from a particular angle and people who know little about the Church may get the wrong impression from this headline.

Many will read the article thinking, wow, for the FIRST time in history, the Church is choosing an African American! That's crazy. But we need a little perspective.

First of all, there are currently 14 cardinals from the US, so we are not talking about very many men. Just 14. 

Secondly, the African American community is not very large within the Catholic Church. According to Pew Research, only 5% of black Americans are Catholic, while Catholics overall make up 22% of the overall population.

Next, there are very few black priests overall. Out of around 37,000 priests in the US, only 250 are black. With such a low number of black priests, we would not expect more than 1 black cardinal.

Let's check out the math on this. There are 14 cardinals in the US. One of them will be black, which represents 7% of cardinals. At the same time, 250 out of 37,000 priests are black which is 0.6% of the total priests. Just from a statistical point of view, if the percentage of black cardinals in the US exceeds 0.6%, they are represented more than the number of priests.

But how many cardinals have there EVER been? Overall in the history of the US, there have been 58 American Cardinals. Back to the math. If black priests are only 0.6% of priests, you would statistically expect 0.348 to be black. So having one black cardinal does not demonstrate racism or injustice.

We also need to keep in mind the universality of the Catholic Church. The Church is huge in Africa. We have many black cardinals when you take into consideration the entire world.

Some people are critical of some of the decisions of Archbishop Gregory. We cannot be made to feel we must accept everything he says and does because he is black and that doing so is some kind of racism. As a contrast to this, there are some black cardinals that many conservatives really appreciate and admire, such as Cardinal Sarah and Cardinal Arinze, to name just a couple.

The Catholic Church is universal and any form of racial discrimination is strongly frowned upon and in fact is a sin. God created all people of all different races. To reject someone based on their race is rejecting God's creation.

What do the Symbols on the Miraculous Medal mean?

 

Source: https://denvercatholic.org/the-miraculous-medal-explained/#.Vm9F2YRlm9Y

The miraculous medal has great significance to Catholics around the world. Today is the feast day of the Miraculous Medal. The chart above explains what the symbols mean on this beautiful medal.

Here is the text of the above graphic:

Each symbol on the Miraculous Medal means something. Together, they create a tiny lesson in Mariology. The Miraculous Medal is not magical, but wearing it and meditating on its symbolism can bring about greater faith, hope and purity.

The Rays
This is hard to see on the medal but in St. Catherine's vision, Mary had three rings on each finder. Rays of light emanated from some of these rings and touched the globe. Mary said these indicated the graces people had asked for and she gave. Her other rings were struck with light, but did not emit rays. Mary said those were the graces she was ready to give, but no one had asked for.

The Prayer
Mary appeared to St. Catherine surrounded by these words. This was years before the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was clarified by the Church. Her open arms remind us of the "recourse" we have in her.

The Stars
One for each of the Twelve Apostles, who formed the Church. Thus the 12 stars are a symbol for the whole Church.

The Globe
Often obscured by engravers adding the year of the apparitions, Mary is actually crushing a serpent wrapped around the world (Gen. 3:15). The fact that she is standing on the globe alludes to her Assumption.

The Two Hearts
The heart on the left has a crown of thorns and belongs to Jesus. It symbolizes his Passion an dlove for all of us. The heart on the right is pierced by a sword and belongs to Mary. The sword comes from Simeon's prophecy in Luke 2:35. The two hearts are next to each other to show the intimacy between them. The fires show the intensity and purifying nature of their love.

The M With the Cross
The "M" stands for Mary, our Mediatrix. "Mediatrix" is a Marian title meaning Jesus listens to our prayers as she presents them, and that he gives us graces through her. This is the role of a Queen Mother in the Davidic Kingdom (see 1 Kings 2:13-20). While he did not have to do this, Christ chose to have a mother to play this role. She is entwined by the Cross, a sign of Jesus's suffering and redemption. This also signifies her presence at the food of the Cross.

This is what the Supreme Court said about targeting religious services for shutdown

The Supreme Court of the United States has decided in a 5-4 decision that the State of New York is not within its rights to shut down religious services while at the same time permitting a random assortment of businesses to remain open. This amounts to targeting and discrimination.

I can't believe this decision was only 5-4. Thank goodness we have level-headed and objective judges who can see this for what it is - religious persecution.

Justice Gorsuch put it well here:

“It is time — past time — to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues and mosques,” Justice Gorsuch wrote.

For more detail, check out: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/us/supreme-court-coronavirus-religion-new-york.html?fbclid=IwAR0Hn5YjefP8HsvVEvAxE4VmdULy7eefKsBIeX_fBWOMbhxOYY5fkT86kSk

First Thanksgiving in America