ICEMANforChrist

This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.

What Does Confirmation Do? | Understanding the Sacraments by Fr. Chris A...

Friday, July 11, 2011

entrusting your five daughters to the Five Wounds of Christ is a deeply symbolic and spiritually rich gesture. In Catholic tradition, the Five Wounds of Christ—His pierced hands, feet, and side—are not only signs of His suffering but also fountains of mercy, healing, and divine love.

🙏 A Prayer of Entrustment to the Five Wounds of Christ

O Crucified Jesus,
With a heart full of love and trust, I entrust each of my daughters to the sacred wounds You bore for our salvation. May they find refuge, strength, and grace in Your Passion.

✋ To Your Right Hand, O Lord, I entrust my eldest daughter. May she be blessed with the grace of mercy and forgiveness, and may her hands always be instruments of charity and peace.
✋ To Your Left Hand, I entrust my second daughter. Grant her the strength to persevere in grace, and may she use her gifts to serve others with humility and joy.
🦶 To Your Right Foot, I entrust my third daughter. Guide her steps along the path of righteousness, and may she walk boldly in faith, never straying from Your truth.
🦶 To Your Left Foot, I entrust my fourth daughter. May she be steadfast in love and courage, and may her journey be marked by compassion and fidelity to Your will.
❤️ To Your Sacred Side, pierced for love of us, I entrust my youngest daughter. Enfold her in the depths of Your mercy, and may she always dwell close to Your Sacred Heart, where blood and water flowed for our redemption.

O Jesus, by Your holy wounds, protect them from all harm, sanctify their lives, and draw them ever closer to You. May they grow in holiness, wisdom, and love, and one day rejoice with You in eternal glory. Amen.

Since I have entrusted my five daughters to the Five Wounds of Christ, I am entrusting my two sons to two powerful and complementary aspects of Christ’s redemptive love:

🕊️ A Father’s Entrustment of His Children to the Wounds, Heart, and Blood of Christ

For Christopher Gabriel, Vincent Michael, Claire Theresa, Candace Faith, Dara Hope, Rachel Grace, and Nicole Patience

O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer,
You bore the wounds of love for our salvation.
You opened Your Heart to pour forth mercy.
You shed Your Precious Blood to redeem and protect.
In humble trust, I place my children into Your divine care.
May each be sealed in Your grace, formed in Your truth,
and led by Your Spirit into the fullness of life.

✋ To Your Right Hand, O Lord,

I entrust Claire Theresa,
whose name echoes clarity and consecration.
May her hands be lifted in prayer and service,
and may she grow in wisdom and joyful holiness.

✋ To Your Left Hand,

I entrust Candace Faith,
whose name speaks of royalty and trust.
May she be steadfast in faith,
and may her life be a testimony to Your enduring love.

🦶 To Your Right Foot,

I entrust Dara Hope,
whose name carries wisdom and expectation.
Guide her steps in peace,
and may she walk with hope through every valley and mountain.

🦶 To Your Left Foot,

I entrust Rachel Grace,
whose name recalls beauty and blessing.
May she walk humbly with You,
and may grace flow through her words and deeds.

❤️ To Your Sacred Side,

I entrust Nicole Patience,
whose name means “victory of the people.”
May she dwell close to Your pierced Heart,
learning the strength of patience and the power of love.

❤️ To Your Sacred Heart,

I entrust Christopher Gabriel,
my Christ-bearer and messenger of strength.
Inflame him with divine charity,
that he may carry You into the world with courage and joy.

🩸 To Your Precious Blood,

I entrust Vincent Michael,
my conqueror and defender.
Clothe him in Your strength,
that he may stand firm in truth,
and be a protector of the weak and a warrior for the good.

O Jesus,
By Your wounds, heal them.
By Your Heart, love them.
By Your Blood, protect them.
May they grow in virtue,
walk in holiness,
and one day rejoice with You in eternal glory.
Amen.

NIC’s Corner

My people will live in a peaceful country, in secure dwellings and quiet resting places. Isaiah 32:18

· Bucket List trip: Rich vs Poor Tour: 5-Ireland vs. 218-Mozambique

o Ireland: Living in Ireland offers a high quality of life, with strong healthcare, safety, and education systems, and it consistently ranks among the best countries to live in globally. While the cost of living is relatively high—comparable to the U.S.—Ireland boasts a longer life expectancy (83.1 years vs. 77.4 in the U.S.) and a higher quality of life index. However, newcomers often find the weather damp and chilly, and housing can be expensive and less insulated than in other developed countries.

§ Ireland’s per capita GDP is high primarily because multinational corporations, especially in tech and pharmaceuticals, report large profits there due to favorable tax policies, inflating economic figures beyond domestic productivity.

o Mozambique: Living in Mozambique offers a low cost of living and vibrant cultural and natural beauty, but it comes with significant challenges such as limited healthcare, underdeveloped infrastructure, and widespread poverty. Life expectancy and access to services are well below global averages, making daily life more difficult compared to most developed countries.

§ Mozambique’s per capita income is low due to widespread poverty, limited industrialization, and a heavy reliance on small-scale agriculture, which suffers from poor infrastructure, low productivity, and underinvestment.

· Eat Fish on Fridays

o Cheat: Peri-Peri Shrimp

§ Stay at home: Colcannon

· Spirit Hour: Chrysanthemum cocktail

o Mojito!

· Let Freedom Ring Day 5 "Freedom from Cowardice" by Fr. Rick Heilman

· Day of the Flemish Community

· Iceman’s 40 devotion

· Get an indulgence

· Operation Purity

It Is Better to Fry in This Life Then the Next

National French Fry Day[8]

Whether you call them ‘French Fries’, ‘Chips’, Finger Chips, or French-Fried Potatoes, this delicious treat is loved around the world, and French Fries Day celebrates them. Not to be confused with the American ‘Chips’, which are thinly sliced pieces of potato fried until crisp, French Fries are the delicious result of ‘batons’ of potato cut to various thicknesses and then fried in oil. The outside of this staple companion food to hamburgers and other grease-ball favorites generally have a golden texture, varying from soft to crispy, and most often served with little more than a dusting of salt.

History of the French Fry

French Fries are one of many foods whose name is most misleading, as the origins of this fat fried food seem to be in Belgium. The story of their creation can be found in a family manuscript dated 1781, which reveals that potatoes were originally cut into the shape of fish and served in lieu of the fish normally caught in a series of small villages in Belgium. It seems the river had frozen over and the fish they normally caught and fried were unable to be caught. Why they’re called French is often attributed to troops coming over during World War I who got their hands-on Belgian Fries. The official language of the Belgian army at that time was French, and as a result the men thought they were in France rather than Belgium. Interestingly, in that region of the world, they are still called “Flemish Fries” to further complicate matters. Now these treats are loved the world round, even becoming the ‘national snack’ of the Netherlands.

How to Celebrate French Fries Day

With the popularity of French Fry, it’s not surprising that the world has come up with as many different varieties of this delicious food as you could imagine. So, one of the best ways to celebrate French Fries Day is to host a party dedicated to celebrating the international menu the fried potato has created. The simplest variation is simply to put chopped raw onions in some ketchup and eat them up like they do in the Netherlands. For the more adventurous, try some of the varieties below!

Canadian Poutine

This recipe is a classic way to have French Fries, originating in Canada. This dish is incredibly decadent, combining the crispy soft texture of the French Fries with a rich beef gravy, and topped with cheese curds.

American Bacon Cheeseburger Classic

There is little Americans love more than to add cheese and bacon to just about anything. French fries are no exception, there is little that is as well-loved as a rich, greasy accompaniment to any meal. To make this classic you start with a basic of fries, and layer on bacon, chopped onions, cheese, and ground hamburger before tossing them in the oven just long enough for everything to get melty. Then grab a handful and dig in!

Greek French Fries

The Mediterranean rarely fail at making an already delicious food rich and full of the smells of home. If you love the classic Greek flavors of parmigiano-reggiano or romano cheese, garlic, and oregano, then these fries are going to leave you smiling. The key ingredients here are Extra Virgin Olive Oil to fry them in, after which you toss them in garlic salt, Greek Oregano, and your choice of cheese such as those mentioned ahead. To get the full impact you’re going to want to stick to the white crumbly cheese of the region, the truly adventurous might use Mazithra cheese.

These are a few dishes that can help enhance French Fries Day, and really bring out the amazing versatility of this centuries old treat. So, get out your deep fryer, chop up some potatoes, and celebrate French Fries Day by eating yourself into a starch filled stupor!

mussels and fries[9]

Moules-frites—the Belgians discovered a perfect marriage. They steam their mussels in simple marinière style (flavored with a little chopped onion, celery, carrot, parsley, bay leaf, and thyme), and then serve heaping mounds of them.

· French Menu

o Grand Marnier

o Salade niçoise

o Soupe à L’oignon

o Moules Marinières

o Crème brûlée

· Take a spiritual retreat

It Can Be Hard to Find an Accommodating Space

Intentionally immerse yourself in a serene space

Let’s face it, it can be hard to find an ideal retreat location to retreat. Even vacations can become more work than they are worth. The space we surround ourselves in has a huge impact on our ability to find rest and renewal and to create and inspire.

Villa Maria del Mar is a house of hospitality for individuals and groups seeking a beautiful and serene space for prayer, planning, and healing.

Villa Maria Del Mar Features

Overnight Group Retreats

Individual Retreat and Renewal

Meeting Spaces for Day Groups

On-Site Livestreaming

Complete Food Service

Dietary Accommodations

JULY 11 Friday-Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

Population Day

Matthew, Chapter 2, Verse 21-22

He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was AFRAID to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.

To Joseph the gift of dreams and visions was given but to some is giving the gift of tongues. To which many years ago (40 to be exact February 1975) at the bir

th of my first-born daughter I had gone to the Gunpowder Inn, in Bermuda, to celebrate her birth, with a couple of Native American friends. At the time I was in the Navy Seabees, and we worked together.

When I had got there, all of the sudden, I got an overwhelming feeling that I needed to speak in tongues to P. Graves and I did. I felt stupid and fearful, but I spoke to him in languages I knew not and used sign, too. He told me I used 800-year-old languages that only a handful of people knew. The simple message from Christ was that he (P. Graves) who was the last living war chief of the Blackfoot tribe was not to assume his chieftainship and to let his son become chief or otherwise there would be much blood.

I never heard from P. Graves again after 1974 but as far as I know; no Blackfoot, has participated in any Wounded Knee violence.

Wounded Knee: Trouble Continues At Pine Ridge

“The troubles at Wounded Knee were not over after the siege. A virtual civil war broke out between the opposing Indian factions on the Pine Ridge reservation, and a series of beatings, shootings and murders left more than 100 Indians dead. When two FBI agents were killed in a 1975 gunfight, the agency raided the reservation and arrested AIM leader Leonard Peltier for the crime. The FBI crackdown coupled with AIM’s own excesses ended its influence at Pine Ridge. In 1977, Peltier was convicted of killing the two FBI agents and sentenced to life in prison. To this day, Peltier’s supporters continue to maintain his innocence and seek a presidential pardon for him.”[1]

Copilot

Here's a Catholic reflection on Mark Chapter 2, with a focus on its lessons about fear and being afraid:

📖 Mark Chapter 2 — Summary

Mark 2 presents a series of encounters that reveal Jesus’ authority and provoke both awe and opposition:

1. Healing of the Paralytic (vv. 1–12)
Jesus forgives the sins of a paralyzed man before healing his body, shocking the scribes who accuse Him of blasphemy. Jesus responds by demonstrating His divine authority.

2. Call of Levi (vv. 13–17)
Jesus calls Levi (Matthew), a tax collector, to follow Him. He then dines with sinners, prompting criticism from the Pharisees.

3. Questions about Fasting (vv. 18–22)
Jesus explains that His presence is like a wedding feast—fasting will come later but now is a time of joy.

4. Lord of the Sabbath (vv. 23–28)
When His disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath, Jesus defends them, declaring that “the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

😨 Lessons on Fear and Being Afraid — Catholic Perspective

1. Fear of Divine Authority

The scribes are disturbed when Jesus forgives sins (v. 7). Their fear is theological: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
From a Catholic view, this moment reveals the divine identity of Christ and prefigures the Church’s sacramental authority to forgive sins through the priesthood (cf. CCC 1441–1442). The fear here is a misguided resistance to divine mercy.

Lesson: Fear can blind us to grace when we cling to rigid expectations or pride. True faith requires humility before God’s authority.

2. Fear of Association with Sinners

The Pharisees are scandalized that Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners (v. 16). Their fear is social, and moral concerned with purity and reputation.

Jesus responds:

“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (v. 17)

This reflects the Catholic understanding that Christ seeks the lost, and the Church is a field hospital, not a museum of saints.

Lesson: Fear of judgment or impurity must never override the call to mercy and evangelization.

3. Fear of the New

Jesus’ parables about new wine in old wineskins (vv. 21–22) speak to the fear of change. The Pharisees resist the newness of Christ’s message.

In Catholic theology, this points to the transformative power of grace. Christ doesn’t patch the old; He makes all things new (cf. 2 Cor 5:17).

Lesson: Fear of change can keep us from receiving the fullness of the Gospel. We must let go of old patterns to be renewed in Christ.

4. Freedom from Fear through Faith

The friends of the paralytic show bold, fearless faith—tearing through a roof to bring him to Jesus (v. 4). Their courage contrasts with the fear and skepticism of the scribes.

Lesson: Faith often requires holy boldness. When fear tempts us to hold back, love and trust in Christ propel us forward.

Feast of Saint Benedict[2]

Saint Benedict was born in Nursia in central Italy around the year 480. He was born to a noble family, and after being homeschooled, he was sent to Rome to complete his education. The teenaged Benedict was already turning toward the Lord, and when he went to Rome, he was disappointed and dismayed by the lazy, extravagant ways of the other young students. Benedict was born into a time of immense social upheaval. The once grand Roman Empire was on its last legs. The ancient city of Rome was crumbling due to decadence from within and attacks from without. Seventy years before Benedict’s birth the city fell to the invasions of the barbarians. The civil authority was in tatters, the city had been stripped of its grandeur, and the Church herself was beset with corruption and theological arguments. Benedict left the chaos of the city and sought a quiet place to study in the mountains north of Rome. Near the town of Subiaco, he found a community of holy men, and settled near them to pursue a life of prayer. Eventually Benedict was asked to be the leader of the community. When that went wrong, he left to start his own monastic community. One community soon grew to twelve, and to establish these new communities on a sound foundation Benedict, wrote his simple Rule. We mustn’t think of Benedict’s communities as the great monasteries that existed in the Middle Ages. In the sixth century, Benedict’s small communities consisted of perhaps twenty people. They scratched their living from the land just like the other peasants with whom they lived. The only difference is that Benedict’s monks observed celibacy, lived together and followed a disciplined life of prayer, work and study. This simple, serious life was to prove a powerful antidote to the decadent chaos of the crumbling Roman Empire. Saint Benedict died on March 21, 547. After receiving Communion, he died with his arms outstretched, surrounded by his brothers. He left behind a legacy that would change the world. The monasteries became centers of learning, agriculture, art, and every useful craft. In this way, without directly intending it, the monasteries deeply affected the social, economic, and political life of the emergent Christian Europe. The monastic schools formed the pattern for the later urban cathedral schools, which in turn led to the founding of universities. In this way, monasticism preserved and handed on the wisdom of both Athens and Jerusalem, the foundations of Western civilization. It is for this reason that Saint Benedict is named the patron of Europe. Benedict is a great figure in the history of Western Europe, but his life and writings also give us a sure guide for a practical spiritual life today. His practical Rule for monks in the sixth century provides principles for Christian living that are as relevant and applicable today as they have been for the last 1,500 years.

Things to do:

o Get a St. Benedicts Medal

o Practice the Liturgy of the Hours

Ora and Labora (Work and Prayer)[3]

THE BENEDICTINE MONASTIC OFFICE

The Divine Office is at the center of Benedictine life. Through it the monk lifts heart and mind to Almighty God, and uniting himself to his confreres, the Church and the entire world in offering God praise and thanks, in confessing his sins, and in calling on God for the needs of all people. The office punctuates the day of the monk; like a leaven awakening his soul to make the entire day, indeed the whole of life, a gift of the self to God. Praying the hours puts the monk into the real world, sanctifying his whole life and assisting him toward his goal of unceasing prayer – Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus.

The Benedictine Office is a rich collection of prayer that is based on the Rule of St. Benedict. Historically it is distinct from the Roman Office – also recently called the Liturgy of the Hours – which, after the Second Vatican Council, was reshaped to simplify and make more practical the prayer of the hours for the secular clergy, as well as the religious who use it, and the laity who make it a part of their life of prayer.

In 1966 the Breviarium Monasticum was the universal order of Divine Office for Benedictines. In that year the monks were given a period of time for liturgical experimentation, allowing each congregation of monasteries to adapt the tradition for its particular use, under certain guidelines. To this day the Breviarium Monasticum remains “official” and the time of experimentation is still in effect. In that circumstance, communities are using various forms of the Divine Office, and a few communities have even elected to take the new Roman Office (Liturgy of the Hours) as a convenient guideline because of its universal use among the secular clergy.

The following is a brief, general description of the centuries old Benedictine tradition of prayer in word and action. Reference is made occasionally to the Roman Office as another point of reference. The structure of the Office described below and outlined is according to the use at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama.

Traditional Monastic Hours (which became the standard for the Roman Office)	New Roman Office (Liturgy of the Hours) (American English version uses terms in parentheses)
Matins (Vigils)	Matins (Office of Readings) – any time of day
Lauds	Lauds (Morning Prayer)
Prime	Prime omitted in New Roman Office
Terce	Terce (Mid-Morning Prayer)
Sext	Sext (Mid-Day Prayer)
None	None (Mid-Afternoon Prayer)
Vespers	Vespers (Evening Prayer)
Compline	Compline (Night Prayer)

Bible in a Year-Day 22

Fr. Mike shows us how the faithfulness of Joseph in the Old Testament foreshadows the faithfulness of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary, in the New Testament. Today's readings are Genesis 41-42; Job 33-34 and Proverbs 4:1-9.

World Population Day[4]

World Population Day seeks to draw attention to issues related to a growing global population. The world's population as of April 2016, is over 7.4 billion. The world's population is rapidly surging with birth rates on the rise and life expectancy increases. Over the last century, between 1916 and 2012, global life expectancy more than doubled from 34 to 70 years while world population has quintupled from 1.5 billion to 7.3 billion between 1900 and 2016.
In 1989, the United Nations designated July 11th as World Population Day in an effort to garner attention for population issues and crises such as displaced people, rights and needs of women and girls and population safety on a global level. With an ever-growing world population, World Population Day serves to highlight the challenges and opportunities of this growth and its impact on planet sustainability, heavy urbanization, availability of health care and youth empowerment.

Agenda 2030's Goal #12 Will Exterminate Six Billion People[5]

Move over, Mao, Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot, there is a new extermination king in town. It is called Agenda 2030. Agenda 2030 conference in Paris is being guided by 17 goals which contain targets that will alter humanity and change the planet forever. Of particular concern is goal #12, as it is the conduit from which the globalist depopulation agenda will be ushered in.

Agenda 2030 Goal #12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Following the planned economic collapse, Agenda 2030 will enforce the most brutal austerity programs ever conceived of, or ever enforced. Just as it was in the Hunger Games movie, all food, water and medicine will be rationed. Inhabitants will be forced to take the Mark of the Beast, the dreaded but largely unknown RFID chip. We are already witnessing the birth of a cashless society. Soon, cash will be banned. Automation will bring promises of unlimited food production. The public will be sold on the widespread use of robots to achieve this goal. It will be a ruse. The goal is to replace human workers with robots. The globalists will hoard the food in order to help wipe out the ‘useless eaters’ through starvation. Then the population will be forced into a devastating World War III. Subsequently, Ted Turner and the other globalists will be able to achieve their goals of reducing the world's population to a low of 500,000,000.

Catholic Population Principles[6]

In order to provide a moral perspective, we affirm the following principles derived from the social teaching of the Church.

1. Within the limits of their own competence, government officials have rights and duties with regard to the population problems of their own nations—for instance, in the matter of social legislation as it affects families, of migration to cities, of information relative to the conditions and needs of the nation. The government’s positive role is to help bring about those conditions in which married couples, without undue material, physical or psychological pressure, may exercise responsible freedom in determining family size.

2. Decisions about family size and the frequency of births belong to the parents and cannot be left to public authorities. Such decisions depend on a rightly formed conscience which respects the divine law and takes into consideration the circumstances of the places and the time. In forming their consciences, parents should take into account their responsibilities toward God, themselves, the children they have already brought into the world and the community to which they belong, "following the dictates of their conscience instructed about the divine law authentically interpreted and strengthened by confidence in God."

3. Public authorities can provide information and recommend policies regarding population, provided these are in conformity with moral law and respect the rightful freedom of married couples.

4. Men and women should be informed of scientific advances of methods of family planning whose safety has been well proven and which are in accord with the moral law.

5. Abortion, directly willed and procured, even if for therapeutic reasons, is to be absolutely excluded as a licit means of regulating births.

Fitness Friday

Flipping the Switches of Manliness[7]

The solution for the modern male malaise lies at the heart of the idea behind the Art of Manliness itself: to move forward by looking back.

The solution means moving beyond the all-or-nothing proposition we sometimes feel we are stuck with. Men feel like they cannot fully embrace the old ways nor move into the new ways, and so they decide to do nothing at all. But it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. You don’t have to become a sensitive ponytail guy OR a Neanderthal.

Something that has helped me lately is picturing those unique primordial male characteristics as power switches that are either on or off. When these switches are turned on, they activate our Wild Man. Talked about in books like Iron John and Wild at Heart, and here on AoM, the Wild Man is the spirited, primal part of a man’s soul.

And the thing I’ve discovered is that you can activate your Wild Man by doing things far short of running down a herd of antelope for your dinner. You can take the parts of masculinity that have been an integral part of manliness for thousands of years and make sure some semblance of them are operating in your life. Not to the extent that they were manifested in the lives of primitive man, but active nonetheless. Sometimes we don’t move forward in our life because we think the solution to our problem must be complicated and arduous to be effective. But the switches of manliness can be turned on in surprisingly small and simple ways.

What are the switches of manliness?

I know it’s debatable, and everyone is going to have their opinion as to what they are, but I personally believe that there are five switches that every man must turn on in order to power his spiritedness and flip on the motivation that allows him to reach his full potential:

One wonders if these are also be used as switches to turn a sinful man to a saint.

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be exploring each of the these switches, both the sociology and biology behind them, but also the practical ways to flip the switches in your life so you can rein in your restlessness, activate your manliness, and cure the modern male malaise you might be feeling.

Switches of Manliness Series:
The Cure for the Modern Male Malaise
Switch #1: Physicality
Switch #2: Challenge
Switch #3: Legacy
Switch #4: Provide
Switch #5: Nature