The First Murder Attempt on Jesus
Volume XXVII, Number 28
December 28, 2023
Merry Christmas!
I have a reflection you won't find anywhere else—or skip it and scroll down to an intriguing update from my newlywed son Xavier, including his great wedding photo!
Anniversaries of SufferingToday is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and it's always jolting to ponder Herod's mass murder of infants—after we just spent weeks commemorating the beautiful and glorious events of Advent and Christmas with music, decorations, family gatherings, prayer, and Masses. (And those marathon romance movies—you know who you are.)
Well, that Was Crazy (Crazy Good)Today also marks our one-year anniversary of the day that big lovable lug Peter and I set out from the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Santa Clara with the True Cross around our shoulders for the insanely difficult 2,700-mile "winter crossing" from California to Indiana during the Operation True Cross walking pilgrimage.
You may recall how historic downpours pounded us for those first few weeks. It was pure misery, which Peter and I embraced with good cheer as reparation. It all seems like a dream now.
Then Peter's achilles blew up like a balloon. Yet we conquered mountain after mountain. A badger showed up, too.
If you're new or missed the photo-diaries I posted directly from our cargo van, you can "relive" our surprised-filled trek through the southwest here:
• Peter and the Pope
• Dark Forces in the Heavens
• The Hand of God
• Mojave Desert on Foot
• A New Mexican Blizzard?!
• Rainbows and Butterflies
• Injured, Sick, and Desperate
• The Kill Shot
On today's Feast of of the Holy Innocents, I am haunted when I imagine the anguished wailing of mothers echoing across the countryside of Israel as King Herod's hitmen slaughtered their babies.
That first murder attempt on the Christ Child was sort of like a resurrection in reverse—Jesus is born with angels and shepherds singing his praises—Joy to the World!—and three days later you and I are liturgically reliving the worst fears of a new father as he scrambles to rush his vulnerable little family to Egypt to escape a cold-blooded political assassination.
Another Assassination AttemptBack in 2018, when I was in the Holy Land, I tentatively stepped all the way to very edge of Mount Precipice on the outskirts of Nazareth where the locals tried to murder Jesus for simply telling the truth. They had manhandled him for a couple miles up a winding road to thrust him down onto the jagged rocks.
My stomach turned over when saw that cliff with my own eyes...
Even so, Jesus walked right through those killers to safety. It was not his time, nor his Father's.
Modern Day HerodsThe human powers that be, egged on by diabolical powers, absolutely relish killing babies, hate "deplorable" families who welcome babies, and will always hate Jesus.
The pretend rulers of our era, with their creepy "population reduction" propaganda, massive worldwide contraception-sterilization-abortion programs, pointless wars, and never-ending brainwashing, are called the global elite.
Through them, the evil one continues the genocide of the baptized—there are more Christian martyrs in Africa now than at any time in history—because we are His.
And if we love him and do his will, they will hate us. Jesus told us they would.
"You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Mark 13:13)
So be not afraid. It is not our time, nor our Father's. It is Our Lady's time. The divine intervention is coming.
Tens of Thousands WorldwideAs always, let us begin in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want.
Lo though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me.
Surely goodness and mercy
will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord forever.
Amen.
My deepest thanks to everyone who prayed and donated during our annual Christmas appeal. Have a blessed New Year. Xavier's take is next.
Bud Macfarlane
A Different Perspective
Hi Everyone,
I'm Xavier, Bud's son and the General Manager of the Mary Foundation. As you can see, I just got married this October.
By the way, I met my wife, Claire, at our local Catholic young adult group. There have surely been many more new marriages due to the Mary Foundation's innovative young adult network, which is only possible because of your support.
I based what follows on what I wrote to many of you last year.
Whether you're new or have been with us for decades, you probably know that my dad can be a bit intense. That's part of what makes the Mary Foundation so unique.
So I'm here with a different perspective.
Our annual Christmas Appeal is almost over, so I'm offering one last invitation for you to participate this year.
While my dad's messages highlight the extraordinary work your generosity allows us to accomplish together, here's another take for you to consider:
That's me, my dad, Hali, Anthony, Victoria, Kevin, and my brother Cletus. And we're planning on hiring more workers soon.
You're the reason we have jobs.
We're (mostly) young Catholics in our twenties, finding our way in the world, navigating a struggling Church, and contemplating our futures (including raising kids) in this godless modern culture. Yet...
Because of you, we get to devote our lives to the Harvest of Souls.
Because of you, we get to wake up in the morning and drive to a workplace where Christ is King.
Because of you, the Mary Foundation gets to exist, and we get to work here.
You are the reason we pack boxes, answer emails, record podcasts, and ship so many books and scapulars and medals.
You put food on our table, pay our rent, and keep our used cars running.
And we are so grateful.
It's humbling to write these words, but we genuinely rely on your financial sacrifice, so if you haven't already participated in this year's appeal, please prayerfully consider making a donation to keep us going for another year.
Mail Your Donation
The Mary Foundation, PO Box 26101, Fairview Park, OH 44126
(check, cash, or money order) Make payable to "The Mary Foundation"
Close Our Doors. Really?
I occasionally get asked why we say things like "without your help, we will have to close our doors next year." We say that because it's true.
Every year, we put all of our resources into producing powerful tools for evangelization, new initiatives, and expanding the Operation True Cross prayer movement.
This seemingly-reckless strategy was instilled in me by my father—I say seemingly because it's worked for thirty-three years.
Yet we still tell our new hires, "It's better to crash and burn than to rust on the runway."
We're still flying, and that's because every new project is launched with careful planning and executed with a high standard of professional excellence.
Not a penny is wasted, but every penny is put to work, because money sitting in a bank account doesn't save souls. A book, a scapular, a podcast, a prayer—through God's grace, these can save souls.
Because of your financial generosity and your work in the real world distributing our materials, we're growing like crazy. And because the Mary Foundation pays fair wages, this is a real challenge for our finances.
As you can see, there's a few more of us prepping scapulars, packing your orders, and pasting shipping labels on boxes this year.
Compared to secular careers, it's a gamble working here. We literally count on you for our livelihood.
So please keep our doors open.
It means a lot to all of us.
With the Holy Family,
Xavier Macfarlane
General Manager
P.S. Thank you to everyone who has already participated this year. You guys are the best!
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