starting Monday, Feb. 2nd 2026, Fr. mitch is taking a sabbatical for prayer and reflection.
The basics of the charity — physical classes and online instruction via the YouTube Channel — will be maintained. But the blog and Holy Eucharist services are being suspended.
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Mettle maker #495: No Space, No Stuff, no baggage
No space? No equipment? No problem!
I’ve never had a gym membership — and I’ve been doing martial arts and fitness since 1986. I’ve had a home training space for years. But the heat out there in the log cabin is rudimentary, and with it getting down to single digit temps for the last week, I’ve had to “get back to basics” and train in the living room.
How do I do it? Well, this stuff seems obvious to me because I’ve done it for so long. But I understand that those of you who are just now getting into it might be struggling. So let me give you a hand!
There are plenty of things you can do to get fighting fit, even if if you have no space and no equipment. I’ve put a couple of videos here to illustrate. Lots of ideas in both, such as:
Calisthenics. They’ve been a mainstay of fitness since the Roman Empire. Here’s a link to 50 or so. Gitcha some.
Got 64 sq. ft. of floor space? Do some wrestling drills and some kicks (see below).
Any stairs? Try the stair workout in the video above/right.
If you want to get stronger, you can.
I promise.
For martial arts purposes, you do need some equipment and some training partners. You can’t get along forever with zero equipment. But you can make do pretty well for a week or two.
And here’s some incredible news: you don’t need “more stuff” to get stronger in spirit. In fact, the more baggage you let go of — the baggage of worldly wisdom — the more rich in spirit you become. For more on that subject, see the homily below.
Need more help?
Want more guidance?
Want to train and fight like an old-timer?
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starting Monday, Feb. 2nd 2026, Fr. mitch is taking a sabbatical for prayer and reflection.
The basics of the charity, our physical classes and online support via the YouTube Channel — will be maintained. But the blog and Holy Eucharist services are being suspended.
In the interim, to watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.
Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 2/1/26 – Father Mitch
Readings: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13, Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Matthew 5:1-12a
Matthew 5:1-12a World English Bible
Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.*
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.*
5 Blessed are the gentle,
for they shall inherit the earth.†*
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Zephaniah says, “seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered in on the day of the Lord’s anger.” Is the Lord angry today? Hebrews in the days of Zephaniah interpreted almost every misfortune as God’s anger in response to some failure on our part. Storms, droughts, failures in battle, every tragedy was God’s anger. As Christians, we have a new perspective brought to us by Jesus Christ, a perspective based on love. For us, most misfortunes, difficulties, and calamities are part and parcel of our fallen state. We are fallen creatures in a fallen world. The more fallen people exercise free will, making poor choices in accord with human wisdom instead of seeking God’s desire, the more discord and evil prevail.
So is God angry? Look around. Bizarre weather patterns sweep the globe. Evil and misfortune are everywhere. Men are making horrific choices in accord with their imperfect, fallen cravings instead of seeking God’s desire for them. Wars, genocides, and revolutions are raging. There is unrest in our streets here at home. Thousands resist the rule of law, and some officers of the law display disdain for the sanctity of human life. Disrespect, obscenity, and callousness are the norm. Teen suicide has hit an all-time high. Eight million unborn die by abortion each year. Our prisons are filled to bursting.
Is God angry? If Zephaniah were alive today, he would certainly say so! But as a Christian, who knows that God is love, I don’t believe that God is angry – I believe that God is disappointed.
I believe God is disappointed because the greater part of our society has lost its humility before the Lord. The voice of the psalmist cries out, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” St. Paul reminds us of our calling, brothers and sisters. We don’t need to be wise by human standards. We don’t need to be political experts, scientists, or engineers. We don’t need to be of noble birth destined for powerful thrones, or wealthy inheritors of mighty corporations. We don’t need the muscles of Samson or the weapons of war.
We just need to be humble and seek the face of the Lord. We need to lead others toward humility by setting an example of humility. As St. Paul says, “God chose the weak to shame the strong” and “the lowly and despised of the world, who count for nothing…to reduce to nothing those who are something.” Our Savior’s greatest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, tells us that we are blessed when we are emptied out, not when we are filled up. When we are poor in spirt – that is, free of worldly wisdom, craftiness, guile, and cunning – we stand to inherit the kingdom of heaven. When we let go of our need for vengeance and make peace, we become God’s children.
It may seem that just seeking God’s will for us is too small a thing. We may feel that being humble and God-fearing isn’t enough. We may start to think that we should do more. That’s how it starts. Soon thereafter, we’re on social media saying all sorts of nasty things or in out in the world perpetrating violence, making the world worse instead of better.
The fight is in our hearts, in works of charity, in sharing the gospel, in acts of grace, humility, peace, love, and charity. We are not called to be successful by human standards. We are not called to fight in earthly wars using fallen wisdom. We are called to persevere in what most people today will call wasteful, foolish, and utterly stupid – by human standards.
Yes, we are called to greater things. In the words of the Savior, “10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Mt 5:10-12).
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*5:3 Isaiah 57:15; 66:2
*5:4 Isaiah 61:2; 66:10,13
†5:5 or, land.
*5:5 Psalms 37:11