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. "
Virtue: Fire & Communion Cigar: Habano Maduro Bourbon: High West Double Rye Reflection:What flame do I carry into the world.
Pentecost is purification before comfort.
Bellarmine says the pains of this life are nothing beside Purgatory.
Augustine prays to be burned clean now, not later.
Tonight’s Maduro is a Pentecost ember — honest, searing, necessary.
The rye widens the chest for courage.
Purgatory Line:
Better to meet the fire in this life than fear it in the next.
Night Smoke:
What must this flame burn away in me today.
MAN HUNT (1941)
Walter Pidgeon • Joan Bennett • George Sanders
Directed by Fritz Lang
A thriller sharpened by moral clarity and wartime urgency, Man Hunt is Fritz Lang’s warning shot to a world still pretending neutrality was possible.
Walter Pidgeon plays a gentleman hunter who becomes prey.
Joan Bennett plays a London street girl whose tenderness becomes courage.
George Sanders plays the Nazi officer who enjoys cruelty the way other men enjoy cigars.
This is not a simple chase film.
It is a study in conscience, tyranny, and the cost of refusing to bow.
It is a pre‑war noir about a man who discovers what he believes only when someone tries to break it.
1. Production & Historical Setting
Hollywood Before America Entered the War
Released in June 1941 — six months before Pearl Harbor — the film is a rare artifact:
an American studio picture openly condemning Hitler while the nation was still officially neutral.
Lang, who fled the Nazis, directs with urgency and personal fury.
The film is propaganda in the best sense:
a moral alarm bell.
Fritz Lang’s Shadowed Precision
Lang brings his German Expressionist instincts:
sharp angles
oppressive shadows
psychological pressure
moral stakes that tighten like a snare
He turns London’s alleys and England’s countryside into a labyrinth of fear and resistance.
Pidgeon’s Reluctant Hero
Pidgeon plays Captain Thorndike as a man who begins with sport and ends with conviction.
His transformation is the film’s spine:
from hunter
to hunted
to witness.
Joan Bennett’s Tragic Warmth
Bennett’s Jerry Stokes is the film’s heart —
a working‑class girl whose loyalty becomes sacrificial.
Her performance gives the thriller its soul.
2. Story Summary
The Shot That Wasn’t Fired
Thorndike infiltrates Hitler’s mountain retreat and lines up the perfect shot —
but refuses to kill.
He wants the sport, not the murder.
The Nazis do not believe in sport.
They believe in obedience.
Capture, Escape, Pursuit
Thorndike is tortured, escapes, and flees back to England.
The Nazis follow, determined to force a confession that will justify war.
Jerry Stokes
A poor London girl shelters him.
Their bond is tender, awkward, and deeply human —
a flicker of warmth in a cold world.
The Cost of Loyalty
Jerry pays the price for helping him.
Her death is the film’s emotional blow —
a reminder that tyranny always targets the innocent first.
The Final Choice
Thorndike, once a man of sport, becomes a man of purpose.
He returns to the fight — not for glory, but for justice.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Neutrality as Illusion
Thorndike learns what the world would soon learn:
you cannot remain neutral when evil hunts you.
B. Conscience Awakened by Suffering
His refusal to kill is noble.
His refusal to submit is holier.
C. The Dignity of the Lowly
Jerry’s courage exposes the cowardice of powerful men.
Her sacrifice is the film’s moral center.
D. Tyranny’s Psychology
Sanders plays the Nazi officer with chilling calm —
evil as charm, cruelty as leisure.
E. Resistance as Vocation
Thorndike’s final act is not revenge.
It is calling.
4. Hospitality Pairing — The Fugitive’s Refuge
A Maduro cigar — dark, earthy, echoing the film’s shadowed tension
A peppery rye — High West or Rittenhouse, matching the film’s edge
A simple wartime plate — bread, cheese, and tea, the food of the hunted
A single lamp in a dark room — the light of conscience in a world of pursuit
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I pretending neutrality in the face of evil.
What comfort keeps me from conviction.
Who in my life has shown courage I take for granted.
What pursuit is forcing me to decide who I truly am.
“Do
not be AFRAID,” David said to him, “I
will surely be kind to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will restore
to you all the lands of Saul your grandfather, and you shall eat at my table
always.”
David
is showing compassion to Mephibosheth; Jonathan’s disabled son following the
civil war between Israel and Judah. In the end David reigns over all of Israel.
Israel with David’s leadership then quickly defeats the Jebusites taking
Jerusalem; defeats the Philistines and brings the Ark to Jerusalem and God
makes his Covenant with David. Thus David’s heart was full of gratitude. David
now can return the favor of his old friend Jonathan to his son and restores his
lands and David orders his servants to cultivate Mephibosheth’s lands,
providing him with food, income and a place in the court. Gratitude cultivates
generosity. This is the law of the Picture.[1]
The law of the picture summarizes
what is often observed in human nature. People tend to mimic the behaviors of
their leaders. When a leader demonstrates behaviors that lead to success,
people that follow mimic those behaviors and succeed as well. The picture
consists of vision, mission, and strategy. When the leader lives the vision,
the leader models the vision making it real and alive.
Nothing
is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them, day after day
– Arthur Gordon
Good leaders recognize the
importance of the example they set.[2]
1. People watch
what you do. As a leader, recognize that people tend to
model behaviors that you display. People tend to believe what they see not
necessarily what they hear. You convince people by what you do not by what you
say.
2. Teaching
what is right is easier than doing what is right. Leaders
must be willing to make sacrifices that are painful and personal.
3. Change
yourself before trying to improve others. As a leader, you
need to lead yourself first. Set high standards of excellence for yourself.
Work the hardest and longest on improving yourself. Failing to lead by example
creates a fuzzy picture to those you intend to lead.
4. A leader’s
example is the most value gift a leader can give. People
desire leaders where espoused beliefs and actions align. People learn best from
watching good leaders in action. Many leaders emerge by observing and
replicating the behaviors of leaders that mentored them.
Copilot’s Take
On the Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter, the reading from Second
Samuel reveals a king whose strength is measured not by conquest but by
fidelity. David looks upon Mephibosheth, the disabled son of Jonathan, and
speaks the words that only a secure man can offer: “Do not be afraid.”
In that moment, David restores land, dignity, and a place at his own table. His
leadership is not a performance but an extension of gratitude. The covenant God
made with him has shaped his heart, and the heart shaped by God becomes
generous almost by reflex.
This scene becomes a living illustration of the Law of the Picture. David
does not merely articulate a vision for Israel; he embodies it. His people will
learn mercy because they have seen mercy. They will learn courage because they
have watched him act with courage. They will learn fidelity because he has
remained faithful to the promises forged in friendship and sealed in suffering.
The king’s life becomes the template for the nation’s life.
Such leadership is never accidental. People watch what a leader does long
before they listen to what he says. David’s restoration of Mephibosheth shows
that teaching righteousness is easier than living it, and that the credibility
of a leader rests not on eloquence but on sacrifice. He changes himself before
he attempts to change others, and in doing so he offers the most valuable gift
a leader can give: a life that aligns with its own convictions.
On this same day, the Church remembers St. Julia of Corsica, a young
woman whose courage stands in stark contrast to the brutality of her captors.
She possessed no throne, no army, and no earthly power. Yet she held the one
thing tyrants cannot steal: a will anchored in God. When commanded to renounce
Christ, she refused. When threatened, she refused. When tortured, she refused.
Her resistance was not loud, theatrical, or vengeful. It was the quiet,
immovable fortitude the Catechism describes as “firmness in difficulties and
constancy in the pursuit of the good.”
Julia’s martyrdom becomes another form of the Law of the Picture. She
shows what it looks like when a human being lives the vision of the Gospel
without compromise. Her fidelity teaches more than any sermon. Her courage
instructs more than any treatise. Her death becomes a model for confronting
evil without mirroring its rage. She does not defeat her persecutors by
overpowering them but by refusing to let them define her final act.
Together, David and Julia reveal a single truth: evil is resisted not by
matching its force but by surpassing it in fidelity. David uses power to lift
the weak; Julia uses weakness to shame the powerful. Both stand firm without
fear because both know who they are before God. Their lives become pictures
others can imitate—pictures of courage, mercy, and unwavering truth.
In an age that often confuses noise with strength and posturing with
leadership, their witness remains a corrective. The world does not need louder
men; it needs truer ones. It needs leaders whose actions match their words,
whose sacrifices validate their teachings, and whose fidelity gives others
permission to stand firm. David restored a broken man to honor. Julia refused
to surrender her soul. Both show that confronting evil begins with the simple,
demanding decision to live the vision one proclaims.
St. Julia was a noble virgin of Carthage, who, when the city was taken by
Genseric in 489, was sold for a slave to a pagan merchant of Syria named
Eusebius. Under the most mortifying employments of her station, by cheerfulness
and patience she found a happiness and comfort which the world could not have
afforded. All the time she was not employed in her master's business was
devoted to prayer and reading books of piety. Her master, who was charmed with
her fidelity and other virtues, carried her with him on one of his voyages to
Gaul. Having reached the northern part of Corsica, he cast anchor, and went on
shore to join the pagans of the place in an idolatrous festival. Julia was left
at some distance, because she would not be defiled by the superstitious ceremonies
which she openly reviled. Felix, the governor of the island, who was a bigoted
pagan, asked who this woman was who dared to insult the gods. Eusebius informed
him that she was a Christian, and that all his authority over her was too weak
to prevail with her to renounce her religion, but that he found her so diligent
and faithful he could not part with her. The governor offered him four of his
best female slaves in exchange for her. But the merchant replied, "No; all
you are worth will not purchase her; for I would freely lose the most valuable
thing I have in the world rather than be deprived of her." However, the
governor, while Eusebius was drunk and asleep, took upon him to compel her to
sacrifice to his gods. He offered to procure her liberty if she would comply.
The Saint made answer that she was as free as she desired to be as long as she
was allowed to serve Jesus Christ. Felix, thinking himself derided by her
undaunted and resolute air, in a transport of rage caused her to be struck on
the face, and the hair of head to be torn off, and lastly, ordered her to be
hanged on a cross till she expired. Certain monks of the isle of Gorgon carried
off her body; but in 768 Desiderius, King of Lombardy, removed her relics to
Breseia, where her memory is celebrated with great devotion. St. Julia, whether
free or a slave, whether in prosperity or in adversity, was equally fervent and
devout. She adored all the sweet designs of Providence; and far from
complaining, she never ceased to praise and thank God under all his holy
appointments, making them always the means of her virtue and sanctification.
God, by an admirable chain of events, raised her by her fidelity to the honor
of the saints, and to the dignity of a virgin and martyr.
of The Most Reverend Thomas J.
Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part II
I.
The Graces of Holy Communion
Holy Communion changes and transforms us into “Alter
Christus”
33.
The Eucharistic presence of Jesus is not only to be with us, but also to be our
strength and nourishment. Jesus does this by choosing the elements of nature –
bread and wine – the food and drink that man must consume to maintain his life.
The Eucharist is precisely this food and drink for they contain in themselves
all the power of the Redemption wrought by Christ. The Eucharist is the only
nourishment that brings us true, lasting happiness and leads us to eternal
life. It is capable of transforming man’s life and open before him the way to
eternal life. How is this possible?
34.
While going through a period of conversion, one day Saint Augustine was granted
a vision in which a voice said to him: “I am the food of the mature: grow,
then, and you shall eat me. You will not change me into yourself like bodily
food; but you will be changed into me” (Confessions, VII, 10, 18). There is
a popular saying that goes, “You are what you eat.” How true this is
when we apply this to the Eucharist. Ordinary food is absorbed by us and
becomes a part of our bodies. But when we receive the Eucharist, it absorbs us;
a Christian becomes truly what he eats; he is transformed into Christ.
Centuries ago, Saint Leo the Great wrote: “Our partaking of the Body and
Blood of Christ tends only to make us become what we eat”.
35.
The Fathers of the Church took the example of physical food to explain this
mystery. We know that the stronger form of life normally assimilates the weaker
and not vice versa. The vegetative world assimilates the minerals, and the
animals assimilate the vegetables, and the spiritual assimilates the material.
When we receive the Body of Christ, we do not change Christ into our own
substance. Instead, we are changed into Christ Himself. The normal food that we
eat is not a living thing and therefore cannot give us life. It is a source of
life only because it sustains the life we have. Instead, the Bread of Life,
that is Jesus, is the living Bread and those who receive it, live by it. So,
while the normal food that nourishes the body is assimilated by the body and
becomes a part of it, the complete opposite takes place with the Bread of Life.
O
compassionate Lord Jesus Christ, I, a sinner, nothing presuming on my own
merits, but trusting in Thy mercy and goodness, draw near with awe and
trembling to the table of Thy sweetest banquet. For my heart and my body are
stained with many sins, my mind and my tongue have not been kept with fitting
diligence and circumspection. "Wherefore, O compassion ate Godhead, O
dread and awful Majesty, I, Thy wretched creature, who am fallen into a great
strait, betake myself to Thee, the Fountain of mercy; to Thee I hasten that I
may be healed; beneath Thy protection I make my refuge; I long to have Thee for
my Savior, before Whom I can in no wise stand as my Judge. To Thee, O Lord, I
now show my wounds; before Thee I lay bare all this my shame. I know my sins,
so many and so great, by reason of which I am afraid. I hope in Thy mercies,
which are past numbering. Look on me with the eyes of Thy mercy, O Lord Jesus
Christ, everlasting King, God and man, Who wast crucified for man. Graciously
hear me who hope in Thee; have mercy on me who am full of miseries and of sins,
O Thou full and over-flowing Fountain of pity and of mercy. Hail, Thou saving
Victim, offered for me and all mankind upon the tree of the cross. Hail, thou
noble and precious blood, which dost ever flow forth from the wounds of my
crucified Lord Jesus Christ, and wash away the sins of the whole world.
Remember Thy creature, O Lord, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thine own blood. I
grieve that I have sinned; I do earnestly desire to amend what I have done amiss.
Wherefore, O most merciful Father, take away from me all my iniquities and my
sins, that, being cleansed in soul and in body, I may worthily receive the holy
food of the holy; and grant that the sacred taste of Thy body and blood, which
I unworthy am about to receive, may be to me the remission of my sins, the
perfect expiation and cleansing of all my faults, and the putting to flight of
evil thoughts, the quickening and renewal of all good feelings, the healthful
energy of all good works, the most assured protection of my body and soul from
all the snares of my enemies. Amen.
Bible in a
year Day 322 The
Ascension
Today, we begin the age of the
church, transitioning from the Gospel of Luke to the beginning of the book of
Acts. Fr. Mike draws our attention to the Ascension of Jesus and encourages us
to respond to Christ’s call to participate in his mission. He invites us to be
part of his story and not be ashamed of the Gospel. Today’s readings are Acts
1, Romans 1, and Proverbs 26:24-26.
The
Code of the West is an unwritten set of ethical guidelines that shaped
cowboy culture and frontier life. While it was never officially documented in
the early days, it emphasized honor, integrity, and self-reliance. Over time,
various authors and historians have outlined these principles, and in 2010,
Wyoming even adopted them as its official state code of ethics.
Here
are some key tenets of the Code of the West:
Live each day with courage.
Face challenges head-on.
Take pride in your work. Do
your best, no matter the task.
Always finish what you start.
Commitment is key.
Do what has to be done. Even
when it's tough.
Be tough, but fair. Strength
should be balanced with justice.
When you make a promise, keep
it. Your word is your bond.
Ride for the brand. Loyalty
to your people and purpose.
Talk less, say more. Actions
speak louder than words.
Remember that some things are
not for sale. Integrity matters.
Know where to draw the line.
Stand firm in your values.
These
principles reflect the rugged individualism and camaraderie that defined the
Old West. Even today, many people—whether cowboys or not—find wisdom in these
values.
May 22 - 24, 2025
Feast of the Flowering Moon is held annually on Memorial Day weekend in historic, downtown
Chillicothe, Ohio.
The festival offers plenty of
family-friendly entertainment for residents and visitors to Chillicothe, Ohio.
Featured activities include Native American music and dancing, crafters,
exhibitors, Mountain Man Encampment with working craftsmen and demonstrations,
entertainment and much more.
Loretta Young • Melvyn Douglas • Alan Marshal
Directed by Alexander Hall
A romantic comedy built on political tension, mistaken loyalties, and the strange intimacy that forms when two people are trapped together by circumstance.
Loretta Young plays Marianne Duval with luminous restraint — a woman whose elegance hides disillusionment.
Melvyn Douglas plays Paul Boliet with his trademark blend of charm and ideological stubbornness.
This is not a screwball farce.
It is a chamber piece about conviction, loneliness, and the unexpected tenderness that grows in confinement.
It is a wartime‑adjacent comedy about ideals colliding with human need.
1. Production & Historical Setting
Pre‑War Paris Through Hollywood’s Lens
Released in 1940, as Europe was already burning, the film presents a Paris that is both romantic and politically volatile.
The comedy is light, but the backdrop is not.
Hollywood was beginning to acknowledge the ideological fractures tearing the world apart.
The apartment becomes a microcosm of the era:
bourgeois comfort, revolutionary fervor, and the uneasy truce between them.
Alexander Hall’s Polished Humanism
Hall directs with a gentle, urbane touch:
elegant pacing
emotional clarity
humor without cruelty
He avoids propaganda.
He avoids cynicism.
He lets the characters’ convictions clash without turning them into caricatures.
Loretta Young’s Moral Radiance
Young plays Marianne as a woman awakening from a life of polite unhappiness.
Her grace is not fragility — it is discipline.
She discovers courage not in politics but in choosing truth over comfort.
Melvyn Douglas’s Charming Idealist
Douglas gives Paul a warmth that softens his revolutionary rigidity.
He is a man who believes in causes but is undone by the humanity of the woman who shelters him.
Their chemistry is not frantic.
It is slow, intelligent, and rooted in mutual respect.
2. Story Summary
A Fugitive in the Apartment
Paul Boliet, a communist agitator, botches an assassination attempt and hides in Marianne’s apartment.
The police blockade the building.
Escape is impossible.
Forced Proximity, Growing Affection
Marianne, estranged from her banker husband, finds herself drawn to Paul’s sincerity.
He finds in her a gentleness that challenges his hardened ideology.
Their banter becomes confession.
Their confinement becomes communion.
The Husband Returns
Alan Marshal enters as the polished, self‑assured husband whose presence exposes the emotional emptiness of Marianne’s marriage.
The Choice
Paul’s comrades demand he surrender.
Marianne’s husband demands she return.
She chooses neither.
She chooses freedom — and Paul.
The Ending
They flee together, not triumphantly but honestly, stepping into a future built on conviction and affection rather than duty and pretense.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Conscience vs. Comfort
Marianne’s apartment becomes the battleground between a life of polite compromise and a life of moral clarity.
The film asks:
What do we owe to truth when comfort is easier.
B. Ideology Humanized
Paul begins as a political symbol.
He becomes a man.
The film suggests that real transformation happens not in manifestos but in relationships.
C. Hospitality as Conversion
Marianne’s act of sheltering a stranger becomes a spiritual turning point.
Hospitality reveals her courage.
It reveals his vulnerability.
D. Marriage Without Meaning
Her husband represents the respectable life that lacks soul.
The film critiques relationships built on appearances rather than truth.
E. Love as Liberation
Their escape is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake.
It is the moral act of choosing authenticity over pretense.
4. Hospitality Pairing — The Paris Apartment Table
A Connecticut‑shade cigar — light, refined, echoing the film’s elegance
A soft rye — Old Overholt or Basil Hayden Dark Rye, matching the film’s warmth
A simple French plate — bread, cheese, olives, the food of unexpected guests
A single lamp by a window — intimacy, quiet, the glow of two people discovering truth
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I choosing comfort over conviction.
What relationship in my life is polite but hollow.
Where has hospitality revealed truth to me.
What ideology in me needs to be softened by human encounter.
What escape toward authenticity am I afraid to make.
The pains of Purgatory are measured by Justice — exact, personal, proportioned to the weight of each soul’s unfinished debts.
Some carry ten thousand talents.
Some carry a few farthings.
None escape the reckoning.
The Doctors teach there are innumerable degrees of suffering — some mild, some excruciating, some almost unbearable.
But all are real.
All are purifying.
St. Gregory says the same fire torments the damned and purifies the elect.
Bellarmine agrees:
the flames differ not in nature,
only in purpose.
Tonight’s cheap smoke and cheap whiskey remind you:
the fire is one.
Only the destination differs.
Question:
What debt in me still waits to be burned clean.
MAY 22 Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
St. Rita Of Cassia-International Day for Biological
Diversity
Psalm 103, Verse 11
For as the heavens tower over the earth, so his mercy
towers over those who FEAR him.
The earth is indeed blessed
among all the planets in our solar system because of our heaven. As the heavens
have made the earth a garden rich with life like so is God grace over those who
are faithful and love Him.
Never forget our Lord asked
Peter if he loves Him three times. One
time for each of the times Peter denied our Lord on the eve of His crucifixion
thus nullifying Peter’s denials and restoring him. Christ asks Peter with each
affirmation to 1) feed His lambs 2) tend His sheep and 3) feed His sheep.
First Christ asked Peter if
he loves Him more than the others thus establishing Peters leadership on love.
Next Christ tells Peter to feed His lambs to give them a core of strength. If
we wish to develop strength in ourselves and others it is imperative that we
give hope, confidence, a work ethic, resilience, self-control, and courage to
the lambs in our charge.
Secondly Christ asks Peter
to “tend His sheep” or that is to give a firm purpose to direct their efforts
to create the Kingdom of God.
Lastly Christ asks Peter to
“Feed His sheep” by having an understanding heart and to be compassionate,
faithful, merciful, tolerant, forgiving, and generous.
God pardons (v.3)
leaders must push past shame or blame.
God heals (v.3) they
must become healthy and be liberated from old wounds.
God redeems (v.4)
they see their abilities and personality redeemed.
God crowns (v.4) they
are given gifts and a place to serve.
God satisfies (v.5)
they feel satisfied and fulfilled as they live out their role.
Natural Leadership vs.
Spiritual Leadership
Natural Leader
Spiritual
Leader
Self-Confident
Confident in God
Knows Men
Knows God
Makes own decisions
Seeks to find God’s will
Ambitious
Self-Sacrificing
Originates own methods
Finds and follows God’s methods
Enjoys commanding others
Servant of all
Motivated by self-interest
Motivated by love of God and Man
Independent
God-dependent
Gets power through personality
Empowered by the Holy Spirit
Cowboy driving the herd
Shepard leading the flock
Jesus led his disciples from
being natural leaders to being spiritual leaders who were not afraid of asking
questions and or the answer they may get. As a result, they transformed the
earth through good works and humility:
Jesus said to his disciples,
"Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed
over to men." But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was
hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid
to ask him about this saying
Copilot’s Take
St. Rita of
Cascia stands as one of the Church’s clearest answers to the question of how a
Christian confronts evil without becoming its mirror. Her world was marked by
vendetta, corruption, and the brutal logic of retaliation. Yet she did not
fight evil with the weapons of her age. She fought it with the weapons of
Christ—patience, forgiveness, endurance, and a fierce fidelity to God’s will.
Psalm 103’s promise that God’s mercy “towers over those who fear Him” is the
architecture of her life. She feared God more than she feared the violence
around her, and that holy fear became the source of her astonishing strength.
The
Catechism teaches that fortitude is “firmness in difficulties and constancy in
the pursuit of the good” (CCC 1808). St. Rita embodies this definition with
precision. She endured an abusive marriage without surrendering to bitterness.
She prevented her sons from committing murder by praying for their conversion
even unto death. She entered religious life despite every barrier. She bore the
thorn of Christ in her flesh. Her entire life was a confrontation with evil—but
always through the Cross, never through retaliation. She shows that the
Christian does not defeat evil by overpowering it but by outlasting it in
fidelity.
This is the
same pattern Christ used to form Peter. The threefold command—feed My lambs,
tend My sheep, feed My sheep—reveals that leadership in the Kingdom is not
built on dominance but on transformation. First, strengthen the weak. Then,
direct the strong. Finally, nourish the whole flock with mercy. St. Rita lived
this progression. She strengthened the lambs in her home, tended the wounded in
her community, and fed the Church with the witness of a life surrendered to
God’s will. Her leadership was not natural charisma; it was supernatural
obedience.
The contrast
between natural and spiritual leadership finds its perfect illustration in her.
Natural leadership relies on personality, ambition, and self-confidence.
Spiritual leadership relies on God, sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit. Natural
leadership seeks control. Spiritual leadership yields control to God. Rita
never commanded armies, never held office, never wrote treatises—yet she
defeated the evil that destroyed men far stronger than she. Her weapon was the
Cross, wielded through patience, prayer, and sacrificial love. She proves that
holiness is not passive; it is the most active force in the world.
In
confronting evil, St. Rita teaches that suffering is not defeat—it is
formation. CCC 618 reminds us that Christ invites every disciple to share in
His redemptive suffering. Rita accepted that invitation fully. She did not
romanticize suffering; she sanctified it. She shows that evil is not conquered
by force but by fidelity. The world fears suffering because it fears
meaninglessness. The saint does not fear suffering because she knows it is the
forge of character, the place where God raises leaders. Her life mirrors the
fivefold pattern of Psalm 103: God pardons, heals, redeems, crowns, and
satisfies.
This is the
leadership America lacks. Evil today is rarely dramatic; it is slow, soft,
numbing. It dissolves conviction rather than spilling blood. In such an age,
St. Rita is more relevant than the Cristeros. The Cristeros teach us how to die
for the faith. St. Rita teaches us how to live for it—day after day, wound
after wound, without applause, without recognition, without surrender. Her
endurance is the test modern Christians are failing: the test of fidelity in
the ordinary.
If America
ever faces a true confrontation with evil, the victory will not belong to the
loud, the angry, or the armed. It will belong to the Ritas—those who fear God,
endure suffering, forgive enemies, and remain faithful when the world collapses
around them. The Cristeros show us how to stand firm in persecution. St. Rita
shows us how to become the kind of soul persecution cannot break.
ST. RITA - SAINT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
O
Powerful St. Rita rightly called Saint of the Impossible, I come to you with
confidence in my great need. You know well my trails, for you yourself were
many times burdened in this life. Come to my help, speak for me, pray with me,
intercede on my behalf before the Father. I know that God has a most generous
heart and that he is a most loving Father. Join your praters to min and obtain
for me the grace I desire [mention your request here]. You who were so very
pleasing to God on earth and are so much more now in heaven, I promise to use
this favor, when granted to better my life, to proclaim God's mercy, and
to make you more widely known and loved. AMEN
The
Shrine of Santa Rita in the Desert was built in 1935 in memory of Dr. Jokichi
Takamine (1854-1922) by his widow, Caroline Takamine Beach. It is the only
Catholic Church in the United States built in memory of a Japanese citizen.
Caroline and Jokichi spent the first years of their marriage living in Japan.
Caroline had met and married Charles Beach, a Vail rancher, in 1926. Caroline
had been a devout Catholic since her conversion as a young adult and wanted to
provide a way for the people living in and around the small railroad/ranching
community of Vail, Arizona to be able to worship. A population of about 25
lived at the town site with several hundred more scattered in a radius around
the rural ranching community. They were predominantly poor Hispanic ranch
hands, railroad workers and homesteaders. Caroline began at least as early as
1927 facilitating Sunday Mass in the Vail School house. She began to formulate
a plan for a church that would serve the spiritual needs of the Vail area as
well as be a memorial to her first husband. She and her second husband Charles
began purchasing land in the area in addition to the homesteaded land to the
south at the base of Mt. Fagan where their ranch operation was located. One of
these purchases was at the Vail town site and would become the site for the
Shrine. The beautiful stained-glass windows that are the focal point of the
Shrine were the center piece around which the entire building was designed.
They were purchased by Caroline Beach in 1931. They had been salvaged from the
1st United Methodist Church on 6th Avenue in Tucson, Arizona. That congregation
had relocated and built a new church on Park Avenue in 1929. The 1st United
Methodist Church was built in 1906. The designer and craftsman of the windows
is unknown. The graceful arch of the large tripartite lancet style windows that
are set into the south wall of the Shrine is incorporated throughout the entire
design of the Shrine. The simplicity and gracefulness of Japanese design is
felt in the symmetry and simplicity of the Shrine’s overall Mission Revival
style.
Rita's
childhood was one of happiness to her parents. To satisfy her desire of a life
of union with God by prayer, her parents fitted up a little room in their home
as an oratory, where she spent all her spare moments. At the age of twelve,
however, she desired to consecrate herself to God in the religious state. Pious
though her parents were, their tearful pleadings to postpone her noble purpose
prevailed on Rita, and they gave her in marriage, at the age of eighteen, to an
impulsive, irascible young man, who was well fitted to try the patience and
virtue of the holy girl.
Two
sons were born to them, each inheriting their father's quarrelsome temperament.
Rita continued her accustomed devotions, and her sanctity and prayers finally
won her husband's heart so that he willingly consented that she continue her
acts of devotion. Eighteen years had elapsed since her marriage, when her
husband was murdered by an old enemy; both of her sons died shortly after.
Rita's former desire to consecrate herself to God again took possession of her.
Three
times she sought admittance among the Augustinian Nuns in Cascia, but her
request was refused each time, and she returned to her home in Rocca Porrena.
God Himself, however, supported her cause. One night as Rita was praying
earnestly in her humble home, she heard herself called by name, while someone
knocked at the door. In a miraculous way she was conducted to the monastic
enclosure, no entrance having been opened. Astonished at the miracle, the Nuns
received Rita, and soon enrolled her among their number.
St.
Rita's hidden, simple life in religion was distinguished by obedience and
charity; she performed many extreme penances. After hearing a sermon on the
Passion of Christ she returned to her cell; kneeling before her crucifix, she
implored: "Let me, my Jesus share in Thy suffering, at least of one of Thy
thorns". Her prayer was answered. Suddenly one of the thorns detached and
fastened itself in her forehead so deeply that she could not remove it. The
wound became worse, and gangrene set in. Because of the foul odor emanating
from the wound, she was denied the companionship of the other Sisters, and this
for fifteen years. Miraculous power was soon recognized in Rita. When Pope
Nicholas IV proclaimed a jubilee at Rome, Rita desired to attend. Permission
was granted on condition that her wound would be healed. This came about only
for the duration of the trip. Upon her return to the monastery the wound from
the thorn reappeared and remained until her death. As St. Rita was dying, she
requested a relative to bring her a rose from her old home at Rocca Porrena.
Although it was not the season for roses, the relative went and found a rose in
full bloom. For this reason, roses are blessed in the Saint's honor.
After
St. Rita's death, in 1457, her face became beautifully radiant, while the odor
from her wound was as fragrant as that of the roses she loved so much. The
sweet odor spread through the convent and into the church, where it has
continued ever since. Her body has remained incorrupt to this day; the face is
beautiful and well preserved. When St. Rita died the lowly cell was aglow with
heavenly light, while the great bell of the monastery rang of itself. A
relative with a paralyzed arm, upon touching the sacred remains, was cured. A
carpenter, who had known the Saint, offered to make the coffin. Immediately he
recovered the use of his long-stiffened hands.
As
one of the solemn acts of his jubilee, Pope Leo XIII canonized St. Rita on the
Feast of the Ascension, May 24, 1900.
Patron: Abuse victims;
against loneliness; against sterility; bodily ills; DESPERATE CAUSES; difficult
marriages; forgotten causes; IMPOSSIBLE CAUSES; infertility; lost causes;
parenthood; sick people; sickness; sterility; victims of physical spouse abuse;
widows; wounds.
of The Most Reverend Thomas J.
Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part II
Hold
Nothing Back from Christ
30.
In the Sequence “Lauda Sion Salvatorem” for the Solemnity of Corpus
Christi, Saint Thomas Aquinas invites us to hold back nothing as the most
appropriate response to the gift of Jesus Himself in the Eucharist: “Quantum
potes, tantum aude, quia maior omni laude nec laudare sufficis. Dare as much as
you can: because He is greater than any praise, nor can you praise him enough.”“Quantum potes” means “however much you can” and “tantum aude”,
which means “as much as you dare.” This is the most appropriate response to
such an awesome gift, to go all out in our response to Jesus’ most extravagant
gift of Himself.
31.
In response to this great gift, many missionaries throughout history have given
up everything, even having a family of their own and left their homeland to
bring the message of God’s love and the Eucharist to so many parts of the
world. In response, many men and women religious have consecrated their lives
to adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament within the four walls of their
convent and monastery. In response, countless martyrs throughout the centuries,
like the ones of early third-century persecution at Abitina in Tunisia, were
willing to submit to tortures and death rather than deny the Real Presence of
Jesus in the Eucharist. And in response, many believers, even those of today,
have made a commitment to come to daily Mass and even to adoration to be with
Jesus in the Eucharist. The question we must ask ourselves is: What is our
response?
32.
“Quantum potes, tantum aude, quia maior omni laude nec laudare sufficis”.
Indeed, we are to hold back nothing, but in turn, give ourselves completely to
the Lord who has given Himself entirely to us in the Eucharist. The only
appropriate response to this great gift is to order our whole life, first, on
receiving the gift and then imitating it, offering our own body and blood, our
sweat and tears, our whole heart, all we have and are to Jesus in the service
and love for our brothers and sisters as Jesus has done for us.
My beloved Jesus, true Son
of God, Who didst die for me on the cross in a sea of sorrows and ignominy, I
firmly believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy Sacrament; and for this
faith I am ready to give up my life.
My dear Redeemer, I hope by
Thy goodness, and through the merits of Thy blood, that when Thou dost come to
me this morning Thou wilt inflame me with Thy holy love, and wilt give me all
those graces which I need to keep me obedient and faithful to Thee till death.
Ah, my God, true and only
lover of my soul, what couldst Thou do more to oblige me to love Thee? Thou
wast not satisfied, my Love, with dying for me, but Thou wouldst also institute
the Most Holy Sacrament, making Thyself my food, and giving Thyself all to me,
thus uniting Thyself most closely to such a miserable and ungrateful creature.
Thou dost Thyself invite me to receive Thee, and dost greatly desire that I
should receive Thee. O infinite love! A God gives Himself all to me! O my God,
O Infinite Love, worthy of infinite love, I love Thee above all things; I love
Thee with all my heart; I love Thee more than myself, more than my life; I love
Thee because Thou art worthy of being loved; and I love Thee also to please
Thee, since Thou dost desire my love. Depart from my soul, all ye earthly
affections; to Thee alone, my Jesus, my treasure, my all, will I give all my
love. This morning Thou dost give Thyself all to me, and I give myself all to
Thee. Permit me to love Thee; for I desire none but Thee, and nothing but what
is pleasing to Thee. I love Thee, O my Savior, and I unite my poor love to the
love of all the angels and saints, and of Thy Mother Mary, and the love of Thy
Eternal Father. Oh, that I could see Thee loved by all! Oh, that I could make
Thee loved by all men, and loved as much as Thou dost deserve!
Behold, O my Jesus, I am now
about to draw near to feed on Thy most sacred flesh! Ah, my God, who am I? and
"Who art Thou? Thou art a Lord of infinite goodness, and I am a loathsome
worm, defiled by so many sins, and who have driven Thee out of my soul so
often.
Lord, I am not worthy to
remain in Thy presence; I ought to be in hell forever, far away, and abandoned
by Thee. But out of Thy goodness Thou callest me to receive Thee; behold, I
come, I come humbled and in confusion for the great displeasure I have given
Thee, but trusting entirely to Thy mercy and to the love Thou hast for me. I am
exceedingly sorry, O my loving Redeemer, for having so often offended Thee in
time past. Thou didst even give Thy life for me; and I have so often despised
Thy grace and Thy love, and have exchanged Thee for nothing. I repent, and am
sorry with all my heart for every offence which I have offered Thee, whether
grievous or light, because it was an offence against Thee, "Who art
infinite goodness. I hope Thou hast already pardoned me; but if Thou hast not
yet forgiven me, pardon me, my Jesus, before I receive Thee. Ah, receive me
quickly into Thy grace, since it is Thy will soon to come and dwell within me.
Come, then, my Jesus, come
into my soul, which sighs after Thee. My only and infinite good, my life, my
love, my all, I would desire to receive Thee this morning with the same love
with which those souls who love Thee most have received Thee, and with the same
fervor with which Thy most holy Mother received Thee; to her communions I wish
to unite this one of mine. O Blessed Virgin and my Mother Mary, give me thy
Son; I intend to receive Him from thy hands! Tell Him that I am thy servant,
and thus will He press me more lovingly to His heart, now that He is coming to
me.
Bible in a
year Day 321 Jesus'
Prayer in the Garden
Fr.
Mike highlights how Jesus didn't pray in order get something from God, he
prayed in order to be close to God. He also points to Jesus' prayer in the
Garden of Gethsemane as a perfect example of how we should pray with honesty
and trust. Lastly, Fr. Mike provides insights on the significance of the walk
to Emmaus and Jesus' last words on the cross. The readings are Luke 22:39-24 and
Proverbs 26:20-23.
The International Day for Biological Diversity aims to raise
awareness and understanding of biological diversity and issues surrounding it.
The day also serves to highlight possible strategies to protect biodiversity,
which refers to the variety of life on the planet. Today, habitats are
degrading and leading to a reduction in biodiversity, a problem that directly
affects human well-being, poverty reduction and global sustainable development.
The International Day for Biological Diversity was proclaimed in December of
2000 by the United Nations General Assembly. It is
celebrated annually on May 22, a day that commemorates the adoption of the
Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992.
International Day
for Biological Diversity Facts & Quotes
·According
to the UN, more than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity
for their livelihoods and 1.6 billion people rely on forests and non-timber
forest products for their livelihoods.
·Habitat
degradation and the loss of biodiversity are currently threatening the
livelihood of over 1 billion people who live in dry and subhumid climates.
·Over
50% of the world’s plant species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrate species
are native to a specific country and do not naturally exist elsewhere.
·We
should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use
it and come to understand what it means to humanity. – E. O. Wilson, American
biologist, researcher, theorist and author.
Day for Biological
Diversity Top Events and Things to Do
·Watch
a movie or documentary on the importance and irreplaceability of the world’s
biodiversity. Some suggestions are: The Cove, Oceans, Plastic Planet and the
11th hour.
·Spread
awareness on social media by using the hashtags
#InternationalDayForBiologicalDiversity, #IDBD and #BiologicalDiversity.
·Join
the international Day for Biological Diversity Google Hangout where you can
video stream yourself and with other people to discuss biological diversity
with like-minded individuals.
·Organize
or participate in a local cleanup effort. Biodiversity is very negatively
impacted by human trash and pollution.
·Donate
to the center for biological diversity. All funds are put towards securing a
future for all species hovering on the brink of extinction with a focus on
protecting lands, waters
and climate that species need to survive. Consider funds like WWF, the Animal
Project and Defenders of Wildlife.
·Visit
Biosphere
2 is an American
Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona.
The Church’s social teaching calls
on Catholics to uphold the life and dignity of every human person, to be in
solidarity with our brothers and sisters worldwide, and to care for God’s
creation. Since the extraction of oil, gas, minerals, and timber affects the
poor most acutely, the Church has been addressing issues related to extractive
industries around the world. Catholic agencies and affected people have been
engaged in advocacy with their own governments, international financial
institutions, and extractives companies, urging them to become more
transparent, to reduce the negative impacts of resource extraction on people
and the environment, and to increase benefits for the poor most especially.
In the U.S. bishops’ first
statement on environmental matters, renewing the Earth (1991), they draw
attention to the ethical dimensions of the ecological crisis, exploring the
link between ecology and poverty and the implications for human life and dignity.
Bishops of every part of the world have expressed concern regarding extractive
industries. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI, expanding on the issue of the
environment in Caritas in Veritate, stated: Let us hope that the international
community and individual governments will succeed in countering harmful ways of
treating the environment. It is likewise incumbent upon the competent
authorities to make every effort to ensure that the economic and social costs
of using up shared environmental resources are recognized with transparency and
fully borne by those who incur them, not by other peoples or future
generations: the protection of the environment, of resources and of the climate
obliges all international leaders to act jointly and to show a readiness to work
in good faith, respecting the law and promoting solidarity with the weakest
regions of the planet (No. 50).
In order to prevent dehydration,
anyone who exercises (especially athletes) should drink water before, during,
and after the workout.
The following tips can help ensure
your body has the hydration it requires for optimum exercise performance and
recovery. These are general guidelines and may need to be increased for
high-intensity or endurance activities or races.
If you are a serious athlete, you
may want to weigh yourself before and after workouts to keep track of your
fluid losses. Doing so will help you develop an individual hydration schedule.
Before Exercise
·Drink at 16 ounces of water about two to three hours before
exercising.
·Drink 8 ounces of water about 30 minutes before exercising.
During Exercise
·Drink 8 ounces of water every 15 to 30 minutes during
exercise
·If exercising longer than 60 minutes, drink about 12 ounces
of a sports drink that contains a mixture of carbohydrates every 20 to 30
minutes.
After Exercise
·Drink 8 to 16 ounces of water 30 minutes after exercise.
·If you weighed yourself before exercise, weigh yourself
again and drink 16 to 24 ounces of water for every pound of body weight lost.
Throughout the Day
·Drink at least one-half to three-fourths of your body
weight in ounces of clean water throughout the entire day.
·Drink an additional 8 ounces of water for every cup of
soda, coffee, tea, or alcohol consumed. These beverages are acidic and
contribute to additional water loss in the body.
Important notes:
·The body can only utilize about 12-16 ounces of water at
one time. Thus, when rehydrating, drink 16 ounces of water every 30 to 60
minutes.
·Drink water BEFORE you get thirsty. When you feel thirsty,
you are already dehydrated. Thus, drink water regularly throughout the day.
·In preparation for a sports performance, the time to really
focus on proper hydration is the three days prior to the event.
Historic
Gettysburg Homes Open for Overnight Stays | Gettysburg National Military Park[9]
For those of you who have an interest in Civil War history, you
may be interested to hear that you can stay overnight at both the Michael
Bushman and John Slyder houses on the Gettysburg battlefield.
Gettysburg National Military Park is located in southern
Pennsylvania. The Gettysburg battlefield is free to visit and open daily from
30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset (weather permitting).
The Historic Bushman House was built in 1808 and restored and
updated in 2017. The house is set back from the roadways and nestled within
landmarks such as Little Round Top and Devil's Den, according to the NPS
website. The Bushman house has 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, and has a fully
equipped and updated kitchen. You'll also be happy to hear it has air
conditioning and central heating for added comfort. Click the following link
for a full screen virtual tour: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=JLG3ydrb1Wv
May 22 - 24, 2025
Feast of the Flowering Moon is held annually on Memorial Day weekend in historic, downtown
Chillicothe, Ohio.
The festival offers plenty of
family-friendly entertainment for residents and visitors to Chillicothe, Ohio.
Featured activities include Native American music and dancing, crafters,
exhibitors, Mountain Man Encampment with working craftsmen and demonstrations,
entertainment and much more.
Barbara Stanwyck • Michael O’Shea • Iris Adrian Directed by William A. Wellman
A musical without innocence and a mystery without cynicism, Lady of Burlesque is a backstage tragedy wrapped in sequins and wisecracks. William Wellman directs with a brisk, unsentimental affection for performers who survive by humor and grit. Barbara Stanwyck plays Dixie Daisy with a toughness that hides bruises, a wit that hides fear, and a dignity that refuses to collapse even when the theater around her becomes a crime scene.
This is not a titillation picture.
It is a study in the fragile community of working women.
It is a burlesque noir about survival, rivalry, and the cost of living one’s life onstage.
1. Production & Historical Setting
War‑Era Escapism and Backstage Noir
Released in 1943, the film belongs to the wartime moment when Hollywood blended escapist entertainment with darker undercurrents.
The shadows are not on the streets — they are in the dressing rooms.
America is fighting overseas, but the home front is weary.
Audiences want laughter, but they also recognize danger.
Burlesque becomes the perfect setting: bright lights masking hard lives.
William Wellman’s Hard‑Edged Tenderness
Wellman, who made The Public Enemy and A Star Is Born, brings his trademark combination of speed, realism, and emotional restraint.
His style is:
unsentimental
energetic
grounded in working‑class truth
He refuses glamour for its own sake.
He refuses moralizing.
He insists on the humanity of performers who live paycheck to paycheck.
Barbara Stanwyck’s Working‑Woman Gravitas
As Dixie Daisy, Stanwyck is not playing a fantasy burlesque queen.
She is playing a professional — sharp, exhausted, loyal, and unafraid to fight for her place on the bill.
Her performance is the film’s heartbeat:
a woman who knows the world is dangerous but refuses to be small inside it.
A Company of Women, Not Caricatures
The supporting cast — Iris Adrian, Gloria Dickson, Victoria Faust — embody the full spectrum of backstage life:
jealousy
solidarity
ambition
fear
The tragedy is not that they strip.
The tragedy is that danger finds them anyway.
2. Story Summary
The Old Opera House
A burlesque theater where performers hustle through quick changes, cracked jokes, and nightly grind.
Dixie Daisy is the star attraction — confident onstage, guarded offstage.
The First Murder
A dancer is found strangled with her own G‑string — a detail lifted from Gypsy Rose Lee’s novel.
The theater becomes a pressure cooker of suspicion, gossip, and fear.
Dixie as Reluctant Sleuth
She is not a detective by choice.
She is a woman trying to keep her company alive while danger circles the wings.
Her investigation is driven not by curiosity but by responsibility.
Biff Brannigan
Michael O’Shea plays a comic whose bluster hides insecurity.
His banter with Dixie is abrasive, affectionate, and rooted in the shared exhaustion of show people.
The Unmasking
The killer emerges not from the shadows but from the community itself — a reminder that violence often grows inside the places we trust.
The Ending
There is no triumphant finale.
Just a company returning to work, shaken but standing — because survival is the only curtain call they can afford.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. The Stage as Shield and Vulnerability
Burlesque is both armor and exposure.
The performers reveal their bodies but hide their wounds.
The film becomes a meditation on how people use humor, performance, and bravado to protect their inner lives.
B. Community as Fragile Sanctuary
The dancers bicker, compete, and tease — but they also protect one another.
The murder fractures this fragile sisterhood.
The film warns that communities built on shared struggle can be undone by hidden violence.
C. Dignity in Hard Places
Stanwyck plays Dixie with moral clarity:
she is not ashamed of her work, nor defined by it.
This is humanist realism:
dignity is not tied to respectability but to courage.
D. The Hidden Wounds of the Performer’s Life
The killer’s motives emerge from psychological fracture — a reminder that the stage attracts both the resilient and the broken.
Noir becomes emotional theology:
the masks we wear can protect us, but they can also imprison us.
E. Survival as Virtue
The film ends not with justice but with endurance.
The women return to the stage because life demands it.
It is a story of perseverance — the moral strength of those who keep going when the world does not soften.
4. Hospitality Pairing — The Backstage Survival Spread
Maduro cigar — smoky, earthy, echoing the grit beneath the glitter
A rye with warmth and bite — Rittenhouse or Old Overholt, matching the film’s mix of humor and danger
A plate of theater‑canteen comfort — cold cuts, bread, and a hard‑boiled egg, the food of performers between shows
A single lamp in a cluttered room — the intimacy of a dressing table, half‑lit and honest
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I performing strength instead of admitting fear.
What community in my life is fragile and needs protection.
Where do I confuse humor with healing.
What danger have I normalized because it feels familiar.
What part of my life needs the courage of stepping back into the light.
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