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special event for mettlecraft month in november
Walk the Richmond Marathon with us on November 10th. SIGN UP here!
Mettle Maker #377
What’s the weekly mettle maker? Training tips and educational information in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? According the American Heritage Dictionary, mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.”
Fitness — Dealing with foot pain. Foot pain is real problem for a huge percentage of the population, especially older adults. The same inability to retain fat and muscle between delicate structures of the body that causes bony hands and turkey neck among older adults also reduces the thickness in the fatty pads of the feet. This can cause subluxation of the cuboid and other issues. Add in some cholesterol reducing drugs and whammo! sore feet. Watch the video on the left for my foot health regimen. Hopefully it’ll get me through walking the Richmond Marathon in a few weeks! BY THE WAY, you get early access to our videos here. This one won’t be available to genpop for about a week. Need a free fitness coach? We’re a 501c3 charity! Click here to sign up for our distance learning fitness program!
Martial Arts - Bracing, framing, and cramming — what are they, and why should I care? What if I told you that a single body mechanic could inform a plethora, a virtual cornucopia, of effective martial arts skills, from ultra-short-range striking to clinch work, to top saddle wrestling escapes? Well, watch the video on the right to get the skinny on bracing, framing, and cramming. DID YOU KNOW that you get early access to our videos here? This one won’t be available to genpop for about a week!
Interested in American Rough and Tumble martial arts? Join the martial arts club in Richmond, VA or click here to sign up for the Heritage self-defense distance learning program!
Wildwood Outdoor Skills — Take a fresh look at Bradford Angier’s 1956 classic. 67-years-old and still relevant, Bradford Angier’s How to Stay Alive in the Woods is a classic that should be on everyone’s outdoor skills bookshelf. Check out the table of contents on the left to get a feel for its scope. Used copies of this small but jam-packed favorite go for less than three bucks on Alibris, so there’s no excuse for not getting yourself a copy. I seriously doubt you’ll regret it. Looking for a comprehensive outdoor skills program? Click here to sign up for the Heritage Wildwood distance learning program!
Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 9AM EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.
Homily for the Twenty-eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday 10/15/23 – Father Mitch
Readings: Is 25:6-10a, Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Phil 4:12-14, 19-20, Mt 22:1-14
Matthew 22: 1-14 World English Bible Catholic Edition
Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’ 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; 6 and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. 9 Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’ 10 Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ 14 For many are called, but few chosen.”
"For many are called, but few are chosen." These words reverberate to us down the two millennia since our Savior spoke them. What is the proper interpretation? Should we use them to think of ourselves as an elite club? Some experts suggest that by "chosen" we should interpret "elected." Are we "chosen" the way that certain politicians are "elected" to office? Are we "chosen" in the same way that the best athletes are drafted onto sports teams?
To grapple with this question, we should consider first and foremost that there are only so many open seats in a government, and only so many open positions on a sports team. To elect an official to a position is to exclude everyone else. The same is true, let’s say, in football. There are only so many players in the league. Everyone else is on the sidelines. This is the way it is with human beings and our ways. In our games, there is always a winner and a loser.
But not so with the kingdom of God. His realm is infinite in scope. In John 14:2 we hear, "In my father's house are many mansions." God's separation of the unchosen from the chosen is not an act of exclusion or elitism because in his kingdom there is enough room for everyone. Choosing one does not exclude another. God sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to bring everyone to the banquet. His love for humanity is so great, that he wants everyone to stay for the festivities. He loves us so much, and so badly wants no one to be left out, that he gave each and every one of us the capacity to be chosen. All we have to do is genuinely show up and participate.
In Jesus' parable, he equates our choice to dressing appropriately for a banquet. I'm sure you've been to events where there are people in attendance who don't even try. The invitation says "semi-formal attire" but they show up in blue jeans and T-shirts. Few notice or comment, not even the hosts, on a suit or a dress that’s a little out of style or a touch threadbare. All they have to do is put in a little bit of effort. But for these people, that’s just too much to ask. I think that’s what Jesus is trying to get across in this parable. We don't have to be perfect to be chosen by God -- all we have to do is sincerely try to follow him and live his ways, to genuinely attempt to give ourselves over to his saving grace. We can't be holy as God is holy – fair enough. But we can at least be baptized, step into the robe, and make a sincere attempt to clothe ourselves in holiness.
In Luke 17:21 we read, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Inside of each of us, God has graced us with the capacity to listen to his Word, accept his teaching, and stay through the banquet to the end. The choice is ours.