This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Vincit qui se vincit" is a Latin phrase meaning "He conquers who conquers himself." 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. This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God. "
Cigar: A cheap, uneven bundle stick—harsh draw, stubborn burn Drink: Well bourbon poured from the rail—no nuance, just heat and correction Virtue:Humility through Menial Repetition
Reflection:
Paschasius is the perfect patron of the bottom shelf. Not because he lacked sanctity—St. Gregory is explicit that he was eminent in charity and forgetful of self—but because his purification required something brutally simple: menial labor repeated without complaint. No flames, no visions, no dramatic punishments. Just the baths of St. Angelo and the lowliest tasks, carried out until the soul’s crooked discernment was straightened.
This is the purgation of the bottom shelf:
not exquisite suffering,
not refined spiritual correction,
but the slow sanding-down of pride through ordinary work.
The cheap cigar and the well bourbon match the lesson. They’re not meant to impress. They’re meant to remind. The bottom shelf is where you go when you’ve chosen the wrong party—not out of malice, but out of stubbornness, misplaced loyalty, or the refusal to read the room of Providence. Paschasius wasn’t wicked; he was wrong. And wrongness, when held tightly, must be worked out through humble repetition.
So the smoke is rough. The drink is blunt. The lesson is clear: God purifies many souls not with fire, but with chores.
And like Paschasius told Germain, the sign of completion is simple: when the work no longer needs to be done, the worker disappears.
SABOTAGE (1936)
Sylvia Sidney • Oscar Homolka • Desmond Tester
A London‑set thriller where domestic innocence collides with ideological violence. Adapted from Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, the film marks Hitchcock’s first fully mature confrontation with terror hidden inside the ordinary. No glamour. No espionage chic. Just the moral corrosion of a man who brings danger into his own home—and the woman who slowly sees the truth.
1. Production & Historical Setting
Released in 1936 by Gaumont‑British and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Sabotage stands at the crossroads of:
Pre‑war anxiety — Europe simmering with political extremism and shadow networks
Hitchcock’s early psychological realism — domestic spaces as pressure chambers
Sylvia Sidney’s American emotional clarity — luminous, wounded, morally awake
Oscar Homolka’s European menace — a villain built on secrecy, cowardice, and ideological rot
The film’s world is tight: a small London cinema, crowded streets, a kitchen table, a bus route. But the moral terrain is vast—trust, betrayal, culpability, and the cost of refusing to confront evil.
The cultural backdrop:
A continent drifting toward conflict
Terrorism as bureaucracy rather than spectacle
Women carrying the emotional weight of men’s compromises
Ordinary life constantly interrupted by political violence
The film’s power lies in its restraint: a wife, a husband, a boy with a package, and the dread that grows as the clock runs down.
2. Story Summary
Karl Verloc (Oscar Homolka), owner of a small London cinema, is secretly working for a foreign sabotage ring. His wife (Sylvia Sidney) senses something wrong—late nights, evasions, unexplained money, a spiritual heaviness in the home.
A bomb is placed in the hands of her young brother, Stevie (Desmond Tester), who unknowingly carries it across London.
Delays pile up.
Crowds slow him.
The city’s ordinary life becomes a gauntlet.
The bomb explodes.
The boy dies.
The marriage collapses under the weight of truth.
Sidney’s grief becomes moral clarity.
Verloc’s cowardice becomes unmistakable.
Hitchcock refuses melodrama.
He lets the domestic sphere bear the full moral cost.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Evil Hides in the Ordinary
Verloc is not a mastermind—he is a small man doing the bidding of larger forces.
Evil often enters the home through compromise, secrecy, and passivity.
B. Innocence as Collateral
Stevie’s death is Hitchcock’s most ruthless early statement:
the innocent often carry the consequences of another man’s moral weakness.
C. The Awakening of the Righteous
Sylvia Sidney’s character becomes the film’s conscience.
Her grief clarifies what her loyalty had blurred.
D. Cowardice as a Spiritual Disease
Verloc’s sin is not ideology—it is refusal to take responsibility.
His sabotage is simply the outward form of an inward collapse.
E. Justice Without Triumph
There is no heroic ending.
Only the sober recognition that evil must be confronted, not tolerated.
4. Hospitality Pairing — The London Cinema Counter
A cup of strong English tea — the drink of shock, steadiness, and moral awakening
A paper‑wrapped fish‑and‑chips parcel — ordinary London life interrupted
A nip of gin — sharp, medicinal, the taste of bracing truth
A wooden cinema seat — cramped, worn, the setting of Verloc’s double life
A setting for nights when you want to reflect on vigilance, domestic courage, and the cost of ignoring what you already know.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I tolerating a small compromise that could grow into real harm?
What signs of moral danger have I been slow to acknowledge?
Who bears the cost when I avoid difficult truths?
How do I cultivate the courage to confront evil early, before it reaches my home?
What does justice look like when the damage cannot be undone?
Friday, May 8 The Virtue: Purification Through Constancy
Tonight’s Pairing
Cigar: A firm‑pressed Maduro — slow, disciplined, the kind of leaf that forces a man to stay with the burn Drink: A straight rye — sharp, clarifying, the drink of men who refuse to soften the truth
Reason: tonight is about the truth that follows a man, the truth he cannot outrun, the truth God purifies not with spectacle but with steady, unrelenting correction.
The Reflection
Purgatory is not the furnace of the wicked
but the workshop of the unfinished—
the place where God refuses to let a man enter Heaven
with half‑formed virtues
or uncorrected loyalties.
St. Gregory gives us the pattern again in Paschasius,
the deacon whose charity was real,
whose doctrine was sound,
whose sanctity was confirmed by miracles—
and who still found himself laboring after death
in the heat of the baths,
performing the low work
that matched the low place
where his judgment had failed.
His fault was not rebellion.
Not pride.
Not corruption.
It was constancy misplaced—
remaining loyal to the wrong men,
standing firm in the wrong camp,
holding his ground where truth did not stand with him.
When he appeared to Germain of Capua,
he did not justify himself.
He did not reinterpret events.
He did not negotiate.
He simply said: “I here expiate the wrong I did.”
No drama.
No self‑defense.
Just a soul under correction,
accepting the truth he had avoided in life.
This is the fire of May 8:
not the fire that destroys,
but the fire that finishes—
the fire that burns away the stubborn parts of a man
that refuse to be taught.
The Maduro fits the lesson:
slow, steady, unhurried—
the kind of smoke that forces a man
to stay where he is
until the work is done.
The rye matches it:
sharp, clean, uncompromising—
the drink of a man who wants to be true
more than he wants to be comfortable.
The law is the same for every man:
God purifies not only our sins
but our misplaced loyalties,
our unfinished virtues,
our half‑formed constancy.
Better to let the steady fire do its work now.
Purgatory Note
Paschasius was not broken by violence
but shaped by repetition—
the quiet, humbling labor
that burns away self‑trust
and restores right allegiance.
His purification ended
the moment Germain’s prayer
completed the last stroke of the chisel.
No spectacle.
No thunder.
Just absence—
the silence of a soul finally aligned.
Better to take the steady smoke now.
Better to drink the sharp rye now.
Better to let constancy be corrected now— and not the next.
Stay
with me. Do not be AFRAID; whoever
seeks your life must seek my life also. You are under my protection.”
David
said this to Abiathar: the sole survivor of Eli’s
household which Saul killed for giving aid to David. David now has in his
service the only priest of the Lord left in the land and exclusive access to
the ephod for consulting the Lord. David later appoints Abiathar co-high priest
with Zadok in Jerusalem.
Yet,
when I read this verse, I hear the Lord saying this to us all-Stay with me-do
not be afraid. Today, go to the Blessed Sacrament and spend some time with the
Lord. There our Lord will pull us to Himself and transform us into warriors and
conquerors. Draw near to Him and He will transform your disenchantment with the
world and help you along the road to holiness and sainthood.
Our lives
are songs; God writes the words and we set them to music at pleasure; and the
song grows glad, or sweet or sad, as we choose to fashion the measure.
Ella Wheeler
Wilcox.
Copilot’s
Take
On
May 8 the Church remembers the Apparition of St. Michael on Monte Gargano, the
ancient sign that the invisible battle is real and that heaven does not abandon
its own. Michael’s intervention was not spectacle but command: stand firm,
invoke God, and fight the right enemy. The cave he consecrated became a
sanctuary precisely because it had been a battlefield, revealing the pattern
that conflict, when surrendered to God, becomes consecration.
Into
this frame comes David’s word to Abiathar—“Stay with me. Do not be afraid…
you are under my protection.” Abiathar, the lone survivor of Saul’s
slaughter of the priests, arrives as a fugitive, yet David receives him as a
charge. Beneath David’s voice is the deeper voice of the Lord, whose providence
is not passive oversight but active governance (CCC 302–314). A man becomes a
refuge only because he himself stands under the refuge of God.
The
Church is unambiguous about the nature of the enemy. Evil is not an abstraction
or a mood; it is personal, intelligent, and opposed to God’s plan (CCC
391–395). Modern culture tries to psychologize or politicize evil, but
Scripture refuses that reduction. The battle is older than nations and deeper
than ideologies. Michael’s feast reminds a man that his first task is to
recognize the field on which he stands.
David’s
command—stay with me, do not be afraid—is fulfilled in Christ, who
speaks the same word from the Eucharist. The Blessed Sacrament is not escape;
it is formation. A man who kneels before the Lord learns the only courage that
endures: courage rooted in obedience. Before he confronts the world, he must
confront God. Before he resists evil, he must submit to grace. Before he
becomes a protector, he must be protected.
This
is why time before the Blessed Sacrament is essential for a man who intends to
live awake. There the Lord pulls him close, strips away the fog of
disenchantment, and rebuilds him from the inside out. The world trains men to
react; Christ trains men to stand. The world forms consumers; Christ forms
warriors. The world exhausts; Christ restores. Holiness becomes a posture
learned only in His presence.
Michael’s
apparition teaches that God consecrates the very places where a man has been
threatened. The cave becomes a sanctuary. The wound becomes a witness. The
battlefield becomes the altar. This is the masculine pattern of sanctification:
not escape from conflict but transformation through it. As Ella Wheeler Wilcox
wrote, “Our lives are songs; God writes the words and we set them to music
at pleasure.” The measure a man chooses determines the strength of the
song.
So
on this May 8, hear the Lord’s voice beneath David’s: Stay with Me. Do not
be afraid. Draw near to the Eucharist. Let Him make you a man who stands
his ground, confronts evil without flinching, and carries the quiet authority
of one who knows he is under the protection of the living God.
It
is evident from Holy Scripture that God is pleased to make frequent use of the
ministry of the heavenly spirits in the dispensations of His providence in this
world. The Angels are all pure spirits; by a property of their nature, they are
immortal, as is every spirit. They have the power of moving or conveying
themselves at will from place to place, and such is their activity that it is
not easy for us to conceive of it. Among the holy Archangels, Saints Michael,
Gabriel and Raphael are particularly distinguished in the Scriptures. Saint
Michael, whose name means Who is like unto God? is the prince of the
faithful Angels who opposed Lucifer and his followers in their revolt against
God.
Since
the devil is the sworn enemy of God’s holy Church, Saint Michael is given to it
by God as its special protector against the demon’s assaults and stratagems.
Various
apparitions of this powerful Angel have proved the protection of Saint Michael
over the Church. We may mention his apparition in Rome, where Saint Gregory the
Great saw him in the air sheathing his sword, to signal the cessation of a
pestilence and the appeasement of God’s wrath. Another apparition to Saint
Ausbert, bishop of Avranches in France, led to the construction of
Mont-Saint-Michel in the sea, a famous pilgrimage site. May 8th,
however, is destined to recall another no less marvelous apparition, occurring
near Monte Gargano in the Kingdom of Naples.
In
the year 492 a man named Gargan was pasturing his large herds in the
countryside. One day a bull fled to the mountain, where it could not be found.
When its refuge in a cave was discovered, an arrow was shot into the cave, but
the arrow returned to wound the one who had sent it. Faced with this mysterious
occurrence, the persons concerned decided to consult the bishop of the region.
He ordered three days of fasting and prayers. After three days, the Archangel
Michael appeared to the bishop and declared that the cavern where the bull had
taken refuge was under his protection, and that God wanted it to be consecrated
under his name and in honor of all the Holy Angels.
Accompanied
by his clergy and people, the pontiff went to that cavern, which he found
already disposed in the form of a church. The divine mysteries were celebrated
there, and there arose in this same place a magnificent temple where the divine
Power has wrought great miracles. To thank God’s adorable goodness for the
protection of the holy Archangel, the effect of His merciful Providence, this
feast day was instituted by the Church in his honor.
It
is said of this special guardian and protector of the Church that, during the
final persecution of Antichrist, he will powerfully defend it: “At that time
shall Michael rise up, the great prince who protects the children of thy
people.”
At the command of God, the angels, with the sound of the
trumpet, shall summon all men to judgment (i. These, iv. 15). The bodies and
souls of the dead shall be again united, and the wicked shall be separated from
the righteous, the just on the right, the wicked on the left (St. Matt. xxv.
33). The angels and the devils will be present, and Christ Himself will appear
in a bright cloud with such power and majesty that the wicked, for fear, will
not be able to look at Him, but will say to the mountains, “Fall on us,” and to
the hills, “Cover us” (St. Luke xxiii. 30).
Why will God hold a general and public
judgment?
1. That all may know how just He has been in the particular
judgment of each one.
2. That justice may at last be rendered to the afflicted and
persecuted, while the wicked who have oppressed the poor, the widow, the
orphan, the religious, and yet have often passed for upright and devout
persons, may be known in their real characters and be forever disgraced.
3. That Jesus Christ may complete His redemption, and openly
triumph over His enemies, who shall see the glory of the Crucified, and tremble
at His power.
How will the Last Judgment proceed?
The books will be opened, and from them all men will be
judged; all their good and bad thoughts, words, and deeds, even the most
secret, known only to God, will be revealed before the whole world, and
according to their works men will be rewarded or be damned forever. The wicked
shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting (St.
Matt. xxv.46).
Bible in a
year Day 307 Courage
in Battle
Today, Fr. Mike discusses the
confidence that faith in God can provide as we fight the battles of our lives.
He also engages with the riddles found in Wisdom 10 and points out that we can
now not only understand the characters, stories, and allusions of Scripture,
but can recognize the fingerprints of God in the world around us and better
understand the main character of Scripture: God. Today’s readings are 2
Maccabees 10, Wisdom 9-10, and Proverbs 25:4-7.
THIS WE BELIEVE
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
The Mass
“Why should I go to Mass
every day?”
The
Mass is the most perfect form of prayer! (Pope Paul VI).
For
each Mass we attend with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us at
death. (Revelation of Christ to St. Gertrude the Great)
St.
Padre Pio, the stigmatic priest, said, “The world could exist more easily
without the sun than without the Mass.”
The
Cure d’Ars, St. Jean Vianney, said, “If we knew the value of the Mass, we would
die of joy.”
Once,
St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God’s goodness and asked Our Lord, “How can I
thank you?” Our Lord replied, “Attend one Mass.”
Fitness Friday
Modern populations are increasingly overfed,
malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived, and socially
isolated.[3]
6 Common Depression Traps
to Avoid-Expert advice on how to sidestep pitfalls that often accompany
depression.[4]
Trap #1: Social Withdrawal
Trap #2: Rumination
Trap #3: Self-Medicating with
Alcohol
Trap #4: Skipping Exercise
When Orion Lyonesse is getting depressed, she turns into a hermit. She
doesn't want to leave the house (not even to pick up the mail), and she cuts
off contact with her friends and family.
"The more I'm alone, the deeper the depression gets," Lyonesse,
an artist and writer in Lake Stevens, Wash., tells WebMD in an email. "I
don't even want to cuddle my cats!"
Avoiding social contact is a common pattern you might notice when falling
into depression. Some people skip activities they normally enjoy and isolate
themselves from the world. Others turn to alcohol or junk food to mask their
pain and unhappiness.
Depression traps vary from person to person, but what they have in common
is that they can serve to worsen your mood, perpetuating a vicious cycle. Here
are six behavioral pitfalls that often accompany depression -- and how you can
steer clear of them as you and your doctor and therapist work on getting back
on track.
Trap #1: Social Withdrawal
Social withdrawal is the most common telltale sign of depression.
"When we're clinically depressed, there's a very strong urge to pull
away from others and to shut down," says Stephen Ilardi, PhD, author of
books including The Depression Cure and associate professor of psychology at
the University of Kansas. "It turns out to be the exact opposite of what
we need."
"In depression, social isolation typically serves to worsen the
illness and how we feel," Ilardi says. "Social withdrawal amplifies
the brain's stress response. Social contact helps put the brakes on it."
The Fix: Gradually counteract social withdrawal by reaching out to your
friends and family. Make a list of the people in your life you want to
reconnect with and start by scheduling an activity.
Trap #2: Rumination
A major component of depression is rumination, which involves dwelling
and brooding about themes like loss and failure that cause you to feel worse
about yourself.
Rumination is a toxic process that leads to negative self-talk such as,
"It's my own fault. Who would ever want me a friend?"
Related:
Can a Routine Prevent Bipolar
Depressive Episodes?
"There's a saying, 'When you're in your own mind, you're in enemy
territory,'" says Mark Goulston, MD, psychiatrist and author of Get Out of
Your Own Way. "You leave yourself open to those thoughts and the danger is
believing them."
Rumination can also cause you to interpret neutral events in a negative
fashion. For example, when you're buying groceries, you may notice that the
checkout person smiles at the person in front of you but doesn't smile at you,
so you perceive it as a slight.
"When people are clinically depressed, they will typically spend a
lot of time and energy rehearsing negative thoughts, often for long stretches
of time," Ilardi says.
The Fix: Redirect your attention to a more absorbing activity, like a
social engagement or reading a book.
Trap #3: Self-Medicating with Alcohol
Turning to alcohol or drugs to escape your woes is a pattern that can
accompany depression, and it usually causes your depression to get worse.
Alcohol can sometimes relieve a little anxiety, especially social
anxiety, but it has a depressing effect on the central nervous system, Goulston
says. Plus, it can screw up your sleep.
"It's like a lot of things that we do to cope with feeling
bad," he says. "They often make us feel better momentary, but in the
long run, they hurt us."
The Fix: Talk to your doctor or therapist if you notice that your
drinking habits are making you feel worse. Alcohol can interfere with
antidepressants and anxiety medications.
Trap #4: Skipping Exercise
If you're the type of person who likes to go the gym regularly, dropping
a series of workouts could signal that something's amiss in your life. The same
goes for passing on activities -- such as swimming, yoga, or ballroom dancing
-- that you once enjoyed.
When you're depressed, it's unlikely that you'll keep up with a regular
exercise program, even though that may be just what the doctor ordered.
Exercise can be enormously therapeutic and beneficial, Ilardi says.
Exercise has a powerful antidepressant effect because it boosts levels of
serotonin and dopamine, two brain chemicals that often ebb when you're
depressed.
Related:
3 Ways to Manage a Major
Depressive Disorder Episode
"It's a paradoxical situation," Ilardi says. "Your body is
capable of physical activity. The problem is your brain is not capable of
initiating and getting you to do it."
The Fix: Ilardi recommends finding someone you can trust to help you
initiate exercise -- a personal trainer, coach, or even a loved one. "It
has to be someone who gets it, who is not going to nag you, but actually give
you that prompting and encouragement and accountability," Ilardi says.
Trap #5: Seeking Sugar Highs
When you're feeling down, you may find yourself craving sweets or junk
food high in carbs and sugar.
Sugar does have mild mood-elevating properties, says Ilardi, but it's
only temporary. Within two hours, blood glucose levels crash, which has a
mood-depressing effect.
The Fix: Avoid sugar highs and the inevitable post-sugar crash. It's
always wise to eat healthfully, but now more than ever, your mood can't afford
to take the hit.
Trap #6: Negative Thinking
When you're depressed, you're prone to negative thinking and talking
yourself out of trying new things.
You might say to yourself, "Well, even if I did A, B, and C, it
probably wouldn't make me feel any better and it would be a real hassle, so why
bother trying at all?"
"That's a huge trap," says Goulston. "If you race ahead
and anticipate a negative result, which then causes you to stop trying at all,
that is something that will rapidly accelerate your depression and deepen
it."
The Fix: Don't get too attached to grim expectations. "You have more
control over doing and not doing, than you have over what the result of actions
will be," Goulston says. "But there is a much greater chance that if
you do, then those results will be positive."
When
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi
from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the
newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him
homage.”
A Pre‑Code wartime drama built on compassion, identity, and the quiet heroism of ordinary people. Adapted from J.M. Barrie’s The Old Lady Shows Her Medals, the film pairs Gary Cooper’s understated sincerity with Beryl Mercer’s devastatingly human performance. No spectacle. No propaganda. Just the moral weight of kindness offered under fire.
1. Production & Historical Setting
Released in 1930 by Paramount Pictures, directed by Richard Wallace, Seven Days Leave sits at the intersection of:
Pre‑Code emotional candor — grief, loneliness, and moral ambiguity shown without the later Code’s sanitizing hand
Post‑WWI realism — the lingering wounds of the Great War, both physical and psychological
Early Cooper naturalism — quiet, unforced, almost modern in its restraint
Beryl Mercer’s stage‑honed gravity — reprising her role from the 1917 play with surgical emotional precision
The film’s world is small: London streets, YMCA rooms, a widow’s cramped flat. But the emotional terrain is large—identity, consolation, sacrifice, and the cost of truth.
The cultural backdrop:
A generation marked by loss and dislocation
Soldiers carrying invisible wounds
Women surviving through imagination, memory, and borrowed hope
Patriotism without triumphalism—duty as burden, not banner
The film’s power lies in its simplicity: a soldier, a widow, a lie told in mercy, and the truth that follows.
2. Story Summary
A wounded Canadian soldier, Private Kenneth (Gary Cooper), is recovering in London. A YMCA worker tells him that a lonely Scottish widow, Sarah Ann Dowey (Beryl Mercer), believes—without evidence—that he is her son.
He agrees to play the part to comfort her.
What begins as a small kindness becomes a bond:
She gains a son she never had
He gains a place where he is wanted
Their shared fiction becomes a shared dignity
But the war calls him back.
He returns to the front.
He dies in action.
The medals arrive at the widow’s door.
She receives them as a mother—
and the film refuses to correct her.
The lie becomes a mercy.
The mercy becomes a truth.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Compassion as Moral Risk
The soldier’s choice is not “right” in a legal sense—
but it is righteous in a human one.
Mercy outruns precision.
B. Identity Given, Not Claimed
He becomes her son not by blood
but by gift—
a reminder that belonging can be chosen.
C. The Dignity of Consolation
The widow’s life is small,
but her capacity for love is immense.
The film honors that without irony.
D. Sacrifice Without Applause
His final act is not heroic in the cinematic sense—
it is simply duty fulfilled,
quietly, without witnesses.
E. Truth That Heals Rather Than Wounds
The film refuses to “correct” the widow.
Some truths are too sharp for the living.
Mercy becomes the higher accuracy.
4. Hospitality Pairing — The Widow’s Table
A cup of black tea — humble, steady, the drink of grief and hospitality A slice of simple bread with butter — the food of wartime rationing, offered with love A small dram of Scotch — not celebratory, but consoling A wooden chair by a dim lamp — the atmosphere of Mercer’s London flat
A setting for nights when you want to reflect on compassion, duty, and the moral weight of small mercies.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I being asked to offer mercy rather than precision?
Who in my life needs consolation more than correction?
What identity am I being asked to “step into” for the sake of another’s dignity?
Where is sacrifice quiet, unseen, and still required of me?
How do I discern when a small lie becomes a large mercy?
Thursday, May 7 The Virtue: Discernment Under Fire
Tonight’s Pairing
Cigar:A plain Dominican corona — nothing ornate, nothing posturing; the kind of honest leaf a working priest or a tired Dominican reformer would have recognized Drink:A simple red table wine — unpretentious, dry, the drink of men who prefer truth to ornament
Reason: tonight is about ignorance purified, not malice punished—how even a holy man can burn for choosing the wrong side, and how God’s justice is precise, not theatrical.
The Reflection
Pope St. Pius V lived with the memory of Paschasius,
the deacon whose charity was legendary,
whose doctrine was sound,
whose sanctity was confirmed by miracles—
and who still found himself laboring in the baths after death,
performing menial work in a place of heat and humility.
His fault was not corruption.
Not ambition.
Not malice.
It was discernment gone soft—
backing the wrong party in a papal election,
aligning with men the bishops themselves judged unsound.
When he appeared to Germain of Capua,
he did not rage, excuse, or defend.
He simply said: “I here expiate the wrong I did by adhering to the wrong party.”
No drama.
No self‑pity.
Just the truth spoken by a soul under purification.
St. Gregory’s judgment is surgical: he sinned through ignorance, not malice—
and so his punishment was temporary.
This is the fire Pius V understood:
the fire that burns not the wicked
but the well‑intentioned man who chose poorly,
the man whose loyalty outran his judgment,
the man who mistook zeal for clarity.
The plain corona fits the lesson:
no sweetness to hide behind,
no complexity to flatter the palate—
just the steady smoke of a man
who lets the truth correct him.
The table wine matches it:
simple, dry, penitential—
the drink of a soul that wants to be clean
more than it wants to be right.
The law is the same for every man: God purifies even our good intentions
when they were aimed in the wrong direction.
Better to let the small fire do its work now.
Purgatory Note
Paschasius was not crushed by a furnace
but humbled by service—
the quiet, repetitive heat
that burns away self‑trust
and restores right judgment.
His purification ended
the moment Germain’s prayer completed the work.
No spectacle.
No thunder.
Just absence—
the silence of a soul finally free.
Better to take the plain smoke now.
Better to drink the dry wine now.
Better to let discernment be corrected now— and not the next.
MAY 7 Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
National Day of Prayer- New Orleans Founded-Cosmo Day
1 Samuel, Chapter 21, Verse 13
David
took note of these remarks and became very much AFRAID of Achish, king of Gath.
One
wonders why David was so afraid. According to David Roper this was David’s
testing.
Just
about the time I think I've got it all together, some unsightly emotional
display, some inappropriate reaction, some other embarrassing behavior blows my
cover and I have that horrible experience of being found out. It's humiliating!
But humiliation is good for the soul. Through it God deals with our
self-admiration and pride. Without it we could never make the most of our
lives. The trouble with us is that we want to be tremendously important. It's a
terrible trait, the essential vice, the utmost evil. It's the sin that turned
the devil into the demon he became. Obscurity
and humility, on the other hand, release God's greatness. It is the basis
of our life with God and our usefulness in this world. Thomas à Kempis wrote,
"The more humble a man is in himself, and the more subject unto God; so
much more prudent shall he be in all his affairs, and enjoy greater peace and
quietness of heart." Because ambition and pride is the center of our
resistance to God and the source of so much unhappiness, "God opposes the
proud" (James 4:6); he brings us to our knees, where He can then begin to
do something with us.
David
fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said
to him,
"Isn't
this David, the king of the land?
Isn't
he the one they sing about in their dances: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and
David his tens of thousands'?"
David took these words to heart and was very much
afraid of Achish king of Gath. So, he pretended to be insane in their presence;
and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the
doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. Achish said to his
servants, "Look at the man! He is insane!
Why
bring him to me?
Am
I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like
this in front of me?
Must
this [mad] man come into my house?"
David [then] left Gath and escaped to the cave of
Adullam (1 Samuel 21:10-22:1). David fled south from Nob — with Saul in hot
pursuit — and he made his way across the Judean hills and through the Valley of
Elah where a few years before he had engaged Goliath in combat. It was to Gath
— the home of his enemies — that David now turned for shelter from Saul. I
don't know what possessed David to flee to Gath. Perhaps he thought he wouldn't
be recognized, since this was several years after his encounter with Goliath,
and he had grown to manhood. Perhaps he disguised himself in some way. But
David was instantly recognized, and his presence was reported to king Achish of
Gath:
"Isn't
this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their
dances: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"
The phrase "they sing" could be translated,
"they still sing," suggesting a popular tune. David's fame was
celebrated everywhere — even in Philistia. You have to understand the
implications of this song. David had slain his ten thousands of Philistines;
his fame had been established at the expense of bereaved Philistine women and
children. Here was an opportunity to take vengeance. Furthermore, he was
considered "the king of the land [of Israel]." By some means David
became aware that he had been found out, and that he was facing imprisonment
and death, so David lost his nerve (see Psalm 34 and 56). Motivated by sheer
terror, David pretended to go mad, foaming at the mouth and scrawling crazy
slogans on the walls. According to the title of Psalm 56 the Philistines
"seized him" and brought him to Achish, who dismissed him with the
contemptuous remark: "Behold, you see a madman!
Why
have you brought him to me? Am I lacking madmen that you have brought this to
ply his madness against me? Must this come into my house?"
The word translated "mad man" (21:15), used
three times by Achish, suggests something other than insanity. The word in
other Near Eastern languages means "highly aggressive" — violent and
dangerous — which gives added force to the king's remark: ". . .
you
have brought this to ply his madness [ravings] against me?"
Achish was afraid of David. The title to Psalm 34
supplies the conclusion of the matter: Achish "drove him away," out
of his court and out of town — David, run out of town on a rail, utterly
humiliated. David, the tough guy, the hero of Israel, the man they celebrated
in song and dance had wimped out in the face of physical danger and made an
utter fool of himself. With no place else to go, unwelcome in both Israel and
Philistia, David fled into a labyrinth of broken ridges and rimrock about three
miles from Gath and crept into a cave. The cavern in which he found refuge was
called the Cave of Adullum (Adullam means refuge). It can't be located with
certainty, but the traditional site is a dark vault located on a shelf at the
top of a near-perpendicular cliff. In that dark place — humiliated, crushed,
alone — he wrote Psalm 34 and Psalm
56. He was at his
nadir. In that dark place David cried out to God: "This poor [humiliated]
man called, and the LORD heard him." There he learned that "The LORD
is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit"
(34:6, 18). Lord Byron wrote from Reading Jail,
"How
else but through a broken heart can Lord Christ enter in?"
Furthermore, David learned to boast in the Lord rather
than in his own ability (34:2). Through shame and disgrace he became a more
modest man — one whom God could shape and use.[1]
The modern
world confronts evil the same way David confronted Gath: with discernment gone
soft. Our age is marked by speed, noise, and self‑confidence—conditions that
erode the interior clarity required to recognize evil before it matures. The
Catechism teaches that evil begins when man “lets his trust in his Creator die
in his heart” (CCC 397). That is the modern condition: a culture that trusts
technique, emotion, and autonomy more than God. The result is predictable—fear
bends judgment, judgment bends identity, and identity bends the moral order.
The CCC
insists that evil is not primarily external but interior. “The heart is the
seat of moral personality” (CCC 2517), and the modern heart is overstimulated,
under‑formed, and allergic to silence. Without interior discipline, a man
becomes reactive, not discerning; anxious, not anchored. This is David before
Gath—running into danger because fear has replaced prayer. The modern world’s
greatest vulnerability is not the scale of evil but the absence of interior
resistance. Evil thrives where men refuse to examine themselves.
The modern
world also confronts evil the way Pilate confronted Jesus: with power but no
truth. Pilate represents the state, the institution, the machinery of public
order—yet he is the one who trembles. He asks,
“What is
truth?”
not
because he seeks it, but because he has lost the capacity to recognize it. The
CCC warns that relativism is a form of blindness (CCC 1790–1791). When truth
becomes negotiable, evil becomes manageable, and once evil becomes manageable,
it becomes acceptable. Pilate’s courtroom is the modern world’s courtroom.
The CCC
teaches that evil is confronted not by outrage but by ordered virtue. Fortitude
“ensures firmness in difficulties” (CCC 1808), prudence “discerns our true
good” (CCC 1806), and justice “gives to each his due” (CCC 1807). These are not
abstractions; they are the architecture of resistance. The modern world prefers
sentiment to structure, activism to asceticism, expression to obedience. But
evil is not defeated by emotion. It is defeated by men whose interior lives are
governed by truth, not impulse.
The modern
world’s greatest danger is the collapse of discernment. The CCC warns that sin
darkens the intellect (CCC 1865), and a darkened intellect cannot recognize
evil even when it stands in front of it. This is why modern men confuse
compassion with permissiveness, tolerance with surrender, and unity with the
abandonment of truth. Evil advances not because it is strong but because
discernment is weak. The battle is not primarily cultural; it is ascetical. The
man who cannot govern himself cannot confront evil outside himself.
The path
forward is the movement from David’s panic to Christ’s composure. Every man
must pass through Gath—his moment of collapse, fear, and exposure.But
he must not remain there. Christ before Pilate reveals the antidote:
identity rooted in the Father, truth held without negotiation, and authority
exercised without fear. The modern world does not need louder men; it needs
ordered men. Men whose discernment is sharp, whose interior life is governed,
and whose courage is anchored in God. This is how evil is confronted in any
age—by men who refuse to let their trust in the Creator die in their hearts.
National
Day of Prayer is an annual holiday that serves to encourage Americans to pray,
meditate and repent. It is also used to draw awareness to prayer and religious
beliefs. The origins of National Day of Prayer date back to 1787. Benjamin
Franklin asked President George Washington to open each day with prayer, and to
realize that prayer is deeply intertwined in the fabric of the United States.
However, it was not until February 1952 during the Korean War that
Reverend Billy Graham petitioned support of Representative Percy Priest to
observe a National Day of Prayer. On April 17, 1952, President Harry Truman
signed a bill proclaiming National Day of Prayer, to encourage Americans to
turn to God in prayer and meditation. National Prayer Day is celebrated every
year on the first Thursday of May.
National
Day of Prayer Facts & Quotes
·According
to the Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study of 2015, 23% of
Americans have indicated that they are not part of any religion. The
survey is based on responses of more than 35,000 Americans.
·On
October 3, 2008, The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sued President
George W. Bush and staff to challenge the designation of a National Day of
Prayer. On April 14, 2011, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled
that the National Day of Prayer did not cause harm and a feeling of alienation
cannot suffice as injury.
·According
to the Pew Research Center, more than 55% of Americans pray every day.
60% of older Americans are likely to pray every day, compared to 45% of
young Americans.
·Prayer
is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's
weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words
without a heart. - Mahatma Gandhi, Civil Rights and Freedom Activist
National
Day of Prayer Top Events and Things to Do
·Attend
a religious service at your place of worship on the National Day of Prayer.
·Offer
a prayer for your loved ones and for those who are serving at the frontlines to
protect America.
·Attend
a spiritual retreat that appeals to your beliefs.
·Attend
a prayer event on Prayer Day. There are many local events, some religious
based, others meditation oriented.
Bible in a
year Day 306 Wisdom
Is Beautiful
Fr. Mike draws our attention to the descriptions of wisdom found
in our readings for today and reflects on the beauty of wisdom’s feminine
nature. He also discusses the death of Antiochus Epiphanes and offers two
perspectives on reconciling God’s role in suffering. Today’s readings are from
2 Maccabees 9, Wisdom 7-8, and Proverbs 25:1-3.
St. Louis
Cathedral, the country’s oldest continuously operating cathedral, faces Jackson
Square. Melding French, Spanish, Italian, and Afro-Caribbean cultures, New
Orleans is a city that is at once elegant and debauched. And while it was
gravely impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Big Easy has shown
formidable resilience. Many of the city’s myriad pleasures are packed within
the lively grid of streets that make up the Vieux Carré (aka the French
Quarter). It is New Orleans’s most touristy area, yet also its heart. The
French laid out the Quarter’s 90 blocks of narrow streets in the 1720s, and the
Spanish—who ruled during the mid- to late 18th century—further developed it.
Indeed, despite its name, the neighborhood looks more Spanish than French. Wherever
you stroll, you risk sensory overload, from jazz on boisterous Bourbon Street
to the smell of café au lait and beignets (deep-fried dough dusted with
powdered sugar) wafting from Café du Monde in Jackson Square. Decatur Street
offers souvenir stands, offbeat boutiques, and charming restaurants. It’s also
home to Central Grocery, an old-fashioned Italian deli whose claim to fame is
having perfected (some say invented) one of the city’s classic sandwiches, the
muffuletta. Royal and Chartres streets are your best bets for upscale shopping.
Be sure to pop into the tacky but fun Pat O’Brien’s to sample their Hurricane,
a fruity—and potent—rum cocktail in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp.
Charming Soniat House is comprised of 30 antiques-filled rooms in a cluster of
three 19th-century Creole town houses overlooking an interior courtyard garden
where guests breakfast on warm biscuits and homemade preserves. For a big-hotel
experience, and a big dose of history, it’s hard to beat the lavish 600-room
1886 Hotel Monteleone. Stop by its revolving circus-themed Carousel Bar for a
Sazerac cocktail before dinner. The Windsor Court, arguably the finest hotel in
the Big Easy, is known for its palatial accommodations, award-winning
restaurant, the Grill Room, and museum-quality art collection—yes, that’s a
Gainsborough.
Cosmopolitans
are probably one of the most famous cocktails out there, where people can go
out at night and enjoy and fun night dancing, laughing, and singing in clubs.
If you love cosmos, then you’ll
love Cosmopolitan Day. This drink has been making the rounds for a while, and
it highlights the 90’s as one of the best drinks of its time. Let’s check out Cosmopolitan Day! Although
the day itself is coined by freelancer writer, Jace Shoemaker-Galloway, who
writes about non-traditional holidays, the history of the Cosmo itself is very
murky. According to Vinepair.com, the first tracked origins of the cosmo go
back to the late nineteenth century, where a cocktail known as the Daisy
emerged as a drink with a recipe that called for spirit, sweetener and citrus.
Although this isn’t
exactly a cosmo, a more direct line for its origins comes from 1968, when Ocean
Spray wanted to advertise cranberry juice to adults. They named the drink “The Harpoon” and it called for an ounce of
vodka, an ounce of cranberry and a squeeze of lime, which was close to the
Cosmo recipe but missed the Cointreau and/or Triple Sec.
Although
legends differ that the Cosmo came from the gay subculture of Miami Beach,
Florida and Provincetown, Massachusetts, the formal invention of the drink is
credited to a bartender named Toby Cecchini, who made the drink while working
at the famous Odeon in Manhattan’s
Tribeca neighborhood in 1987. Its
popularity spread into celebrity culture, where it ended up in The Rainbow
Room, where Madonna is pictured drinking it at a Grammy after party. However,
it was brought into mainstream culture by the famous Tv Show Sex and the City,
where it appeared multiple times throughout the show, creating a cultural
impact on the U.S.
How to Celebrate
Cosmopolitan Day
Want a Cosmo?
Here’s an
amazing recipe you can easily make at home. In a cocktail shaker, mix 1 1/2
ounces vodka (or citrus vodka), 1-ounce Cointreau orange liqueur, 1/2-ounce
lime juice (fresh), and 1/4-ounce cranberry juice. Strain into a chilled
cocktail glass dipped in sugar, then garnish with an orange peel and voila!
Cosmo’s can be
as strong or tame as you like it, but because it has vodka in it, it isn’t exactly the most innocent drink
out there as far as cocktails go. You can also hashtag #CosmopolitanDay on your
social media and share you drinking your fancy cocktail with your friends.
Around the Corner
A Scar, a Shrine, and a Second Life
When Rachel was a child,
her life narrowed to a single terrifying point: a grand‑mal seizure, a
diagnosis of a brain tumor, and the sudden awareness that the world can tilt
without warning. Her father did what fathers do when the ground gives way—he
reached for God. He called Father Paul Wolff, General Patton’s
Belgian guide, and asked for prayers at the shrine of Our Lady of
Beauraing, the Virgin who appeared to children with the simple
message: “Do you love My Son?”
A week later, the tumor
vanished. Not metaphorically. Not gradually. It disappeared. The doctors still
saw the scar on the brain—evidence that something had been there, something
real, something dangerous—but the mass itself was gone. The seizures remained
for years, controlled by medicine, a reminder that miracles do not erase the
body’s history; they redirect it.
Eventually, through the
work of a surgeon at the Barrow Neurological Institute, Rachel
received a world‑class procedure that ended the seizures entirely. The scar
remained, but the threat did not. Healing came through prayer, then medicine,
then the long obedience of recovery. Grace and nature, not in competition, but
in sequence.
This is the architecture
of God’s interventions: He saves. Then He strengthens. Then He sends.
The miracle removes the immediate danger; the discipline builds the long-term
resilience. The scar becomes the proof that God acted, not the proof that He
abandoned.
Brain Tumor Awareness
Month is not a sentimental observance for your family. It is a reminder that
the world is fragile, that children suffer, that fathers intercede, and that
God answers in ways that leave marks. The scar is not a defect; it is a seal. It
says: “You were nearly lost. You were held. You were given back.”
Around the corner is the
same truth for every man: the places where you were nearly destroyed become the
places where God writes His signature. The scar is not the end of the story. It
is the beginning of the mission.
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up
for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians
believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then
try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel,
Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the
blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
According to Mary Agreda[5] in
her visions it was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the
approach of night that the Angel Gabriel approached and announced her as Mother
of God and she gave her fiat.
Best Places to Visit in May- Las Vegas and
Grand Canyon[6]
Often referred
to as the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’, Las Vegas is the ultimate
playground of adventures, cuisines, and nightlife scenes, and when you visit,
you’ll see why!
While Sin City
sees an influx of visitors during winters and scorching summers, I honestly
think the best time to visit the city is from March to this month and from
September to November.
It’s still one
of the warmest states to visit this month, but temperatures are much more
manageable and hover around 89.6 degrees during the day.
You’ll find
various events, hot (but not unbearable) daily temperatures, and fewer crowds.
Nearby the city is the Grand Canyon, and I highly suggest a visit here—it’s a
once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Spring and fall
make for an ideal trip to the canyon for hiking, sky walking, and discovering
the wildflower blooms, but I would also highly recommend just enjoying the
scenic vistas.
Visitors Center Address: 495 S. Main St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Average temperatures – 89.6 degrees
Location Map and Directions
My highlights…
·Capturing
an unbelievable Instagrammable shot overlooking the Grand Canyon after hiking
around the area.
·Checking
out a fun show at MGM Grand.
·Take
a road trip drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon.
[5] Venerable Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God:
Complete Edition Containing all Four Volumes with Illustrations (p. 770).
Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition
A pre‑Code waterfront romance‑crime comedy where a beat cop and a sharp‑tongued waitress fall into love, danger, and rapid‑fire banter on the New York docks. Raoul Walsh mixes humor, grit, and Depression‑era realism, giving Tracy and Bennett one of the most natural, modern-feeling pairings of the early ’30s.
1. Production & Historical Setting
Released in 1932, directed by Raoul Walsh, and produced by Fox Film Corporation, Me and My Gal stands at the crossroads of:
Pre‑Code looseness — sexual frankness, class tension, and moral ambiguity before the 1934 clampdown
Depression‑era realism — waterfront bars, cramped apartments, and working‑class survival
The rise of naturalistic acting — Spencer Tracy’s grounded, unforced style emerging years before Hollywood caught up
Joan Bennett’s early phase — blonde, quick, playful, long before her noir transformation under Fritz Lang
Walsh shoots the docks with a mix of grit and comedy—longshoremen, cheap cafés, police beats, and the constant hum of the river. The film feels lived‑in, unvarnished, and unmistakably urban.
Women with agency—Bennett’s Helen is witty, skeptical, and unafraid to spar
Crime as proximity, not abstraction—gangsters are neighbors, not mythic figures
Tracy’s Danny Dolan is the prototype of the modern American cop: decent, streetwise, allergic to pretension. Bennett matches him line for line, giving the film its electricity.
2. Story Summary
Danny Dolan, a wisecracking New York beat cop, meets Helen Riley, a waterfront waitress with a sharp tongue and no patience for charm. Their flirtation is fast, combative, and unmistakably mutual.
But beneath the comedy runs a crime thread:
Helen’s sister Kate is entangled with Duke Castenega, a small‑time gangster
A robbery and shooting pull the family into danger
Danny must navigate duty, affection, and the messy loyalties of the docks
The film unfolds through:
Banter that borders on screwball
Domestic tension as Kate is manipulated by Duke
Police work grounded in neighborhood reality
A final confrontation where Danny’s steadiness and Helen’s courage converge
The tone is light but never frivolous—Walsh keeps one foot in romance and the other in the hard edges of Depression‑era life.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Love as Mutual Correction
Danny and Helen sharpen each other—humor as honesty, affection as accountability.
B. The Working‑Class Moral Universe
Right and wrong are not abstractions; they are lived in cramped rooms, family loyalties, and the pressure of survival.
C. The Danger of Charming Evil
Duke is not a mastermind—he is the everyday seducer of the weak, the man who thrives on confusion and emotional vulnerability.
D. Constancy Over Flash
Danny’s virtue is not brilliance but steadiness—showing how ordinary fidelity outperforms charisma.
E. The Dignity of Small Places
The docks, diners, and tenements become the stage where courage, loyalty, and sacrifice are tested.
4. Hospitality Pairing — The Waterfront Table
A shot of rye — straightforward, warming, unpretentious
Fried fish or oysters — the working meal of the docks
Black coffee — the drink of night shifts, early mornings, and men who don’t dramatize fatigue
A wooden table and a draft from the river — the atmosphere of Walsh’s New York
A setting for nights when you want to reflect on loyalty, vocation, and the moral weight of ordinary life.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I relying on charm instead of constancy?
Who in my life needs the kind of honest banter that sharpens rather than flatters?
Where am I tempted by the “Duke” option—easy, exciting, but corrosive?
What small, unglamorous duties form the backbone of my character?
How do I live fidelity in the cramped, unromantic spaces of daily life?
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