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Dara’s Corner
· How to celebrate Dec 3rd
o Ready for a wild day? Start off with a warm hug; it’s Let’s Hug Day! Spread some love and positivity. Next up, channel your inner athlete for World Trick Shot Day. Grab a ball, head outside, and start practicing those trick shots. Feeling crafty? It’s Make A Gift Day; get creative and make something special for a loved one. Hungry? Whip up a delicious Green Bean Casserole to celebrate National Green Bean Casserole Day. Try your hand at a new recipe and savor the flavors.
o Take a break from the ordinary and learn about coatis; it’s World Coati Day! Research these fascinating creatures and share your newfound knowledge with friends. Reflect on your blessings for National Roof Over Your Head Day. Take a moment to appreciate the comfort and security of your home.
o Celebrate the beauty of nature with National Heather Day. Go for a hike and admire the breathtaking views of heather in bloom. Show support for inclusivity on International Disability Day. Take action to promote equality and accessibility in your community. Spread kindness and generosity on National Day of Giving. Donate to a charity or volunteer your time to make a difference.
o There you have it, a day filled with hugs, skill-building, creativity, delicious food, learning, gratitude, nature appreciation, advocacy, and giving back. Embrace the spirit of these unique holidays and make the most of every moment. Cheers to a day well-spent!
🌍 Dara’s Corner: Aboard The World
Pilgrimage & Provision | December 3–9, 2025
Theme: Trust, Simplicity & the Grace to Share
Coordinates: Sailing from the Arabian Sea toward Kochi, India and Colombo, Sri Lanka
🕊️ Day 1 — December 3 | Sailing the Arabian Sea
Title: Bread of the Morning
· Ritual: Pilgrims receive a small pouch of flour and are invited to bake simple flatbread together
· Scripture: Exodus 16:4 — “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
· Meal: Coconut rice with mustard seeds and curry leaves
· Reflection: “Provision is not abundance—it is enough.”
· Hospitality Arc: Share something simple—food, time, or silence
🪨 Day 2 — December 4 | Docked in Kochi
Title: Market of the Manna
· Ritual: Pilgrims walk the spice bazaar and choose one item to give away before sunset
· Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:3 — “Man does not live by bread alone…”
· Meal: Tamarind fish curry, appam, mango pickle
· Reflection: “Manna is not stored—it is shared.”
· Hospitality Arc: Give what you have, not what you hoard
🕯️ Day 3 — December 5 | Sailing toward Colombo
Title: Lanterns of Simplicity
· Ritual: Pilgrims light lanterns and write one thing they will do without this week
· Scripture: Matthew 6:25 — “Do not worry about your life…”
· Meal: Lentil stew with coconut milk and ginger
· Reflection: “Simplicity is not lack—it is clarity.”
· Hospitality Arc: Offer someone a way to rest from excess
🌄 Day 4 — December 6 | Docked in Colombo
Title: Pilgrimage of the Hands
· Ritual: Pilgrims visit a local chapel and wash one another’s hands in silence
· Scripture: John 13:14 — “You also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
· Meal: Jackfruit curry, red rice, lime soda
· Reflection: “Service is not duty—it is dignity.”
· Hospitality Arc: Serve someone without being asked
🌬️ Day 5 — December 7 | Sailing toward the Andaman Sea
Title: Wind of Trust
· Ritual: Pilgrims write one fear they will entrust to God this Advent
· Scripture: Psalm 56:3 — “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”
· Meal: Chickpea and spinach stew with cumin rice
· Reflection: “Trust is not certainty—it is surrender.”
· Hospitality Arc: Ask someone what they fear—and honor it with silence
🕊️ Day 6 — December 8 | Offshore Andaman Islands
Title: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
· Ritual: Pilgrims receive a white flower and place it at the altar of Mary
· Scripture: Luke 1:28 — “Hail, full of grace…”
· Meal: Coconut milk rice with saffron and raisins
· Reflection: “Purity is not perfection—it is presence.”
· Hospitality Arc: Offer someone a blessing—spoken or written
🌅 Day 7 — December 9 | Sailing toward Southeast Asia
Title: Eucharist of Enough
· Ritual: Sunrise Eucharist with shared flatbread and local fruit
· Scripture: Proverbs 30:8 — “Give me neither poverty nor riches…”
· Meal: Banana fritters, ginger tea, honeyed papaya
· Reflection: “Enough is not minimal—it is sacred.”
· Hospitality Arc: Share aloud one thing you’ve let go—and one thing you’ve received
🍴 Dara’s Corner — 7-Course Traditional Meal
🥗 1. Appetizer
Dish: Tamarind fish curry with appam & mango pickle
Prep Link: Paragon Style Fish Mango Curry
🍲 2. Soup
Dish: Lentil stew with coconut milk & ginger
Prep Link: The First Mess – Coconut Lentil Stew
🍚 3. Rice Course
Dish: Coconut rice with mustard seeds & curry leaves
Prep Link: Eden Eats – Coconut Curry Leaf Rice
🥘 4. Vegetable Course
Dish: Jackfruit curry with red rice & lime soda
Prep Link: Savory Spin – Easy Jackfruit Curry
🥬 5. Legume Course
Dish: Chickpea & spinach stew with cumin rice
Prep Link: Chopped – Chickpea Spinach Stew
🌸 6. Festive Course
Dish: Coconut milk rice with saffron & raisins
Prep Link: The Spruce Eats – Coconut Rice with Raisins
🍮 7. Dessert
Dish: Banana fritters, ginger tea & honeyed papaya
Prep Link: Munaty Cooking – Crispy Banana Fritters
DECEMBER 3
First
Wednesday-St. Joseph
St. Francis Xavier-33 Days
John, Chapter 5, Verse 45
For the last couple of
months, we have focused on peace and love which is the natural fruit of being
“Not Afraid”. Those who are not afraid place their faith and hope in Christ. For
the next month we will focus on faith and hope to help us sustain our courage
in the Lord—Be Not Afraid.
Hope for a Hopeless Time[1]
If there is an age whose sole hope lies in the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is our own. The evils committed by mankind today can
scarcely be exaggerated. To mention just a few, these include blasphemy, the
destruction of the family through abortion, divorce, euthanasia, widespread
pornography, immoral fashions and lifestyles, homosexuality and so on. As Pope
Pius XI once said, the contemporary world is so morally depraved that at any
moment it could be plunged into a deeper spiritual misery than that reigning in
the world when Our Blessed Redeemer was born. In consideration of so many
crimes, the idea of divine vengeance naturally comes to mind. When we view this
sinful world, groaning beneath the weight of a thousand crises and a thousand
afflictions but nevertheless unrepentant; when we consider the alarming
progress of neo-paganism, which is on the verge of conquering humanity; and
when, on the other hand, we consider the lack of resolve, foresight, and unity
among the so-called remnant, we are understandably terrified at the grim
prospects of catastrophes that this generation may be calling upon itself. The
reality is otherwise, for God does not abandon His creatures. Rather, He
continuously assists and supports them with sufficient grace to aid them in
choosing the right path. If they choose to follow a way other than His, the
responsibility is theirs. Behold the grim picture of the contemporary world: on
one hand, an iniquitous and sinful civilization and, on the other, the Creator
holding high the divine scourge.
Is there nothing left for mankind but fire and
brimstone?
As we face the dawn of the new millennium, can
we hope for a future other than the scourge foretold by Sacred Scriptures for
the final impenitence of the last days?
Were God to act solely according to His
justice, there is no doubt what we should expect.
Indeed, could we even have made it as far as
this twentieth century?
Nevertheless, since God is not only just but
also merciful, the gates of salvation have not yet been shut against us. A
people unrelenting in its impiety has every reason to expect God’s rigor.
However, He Who is infinitely merciful, does not want the death of this sinful
generation but that it “be converted...and live.” His grace thus insistently
pursues all men, inviting them to abandon their evil ways and return to the
fold of the Good Shepherd. If an impenitent humanity has every reason to fear
every catastrophe, a repentant humanity has every reason to expect every mercy.
Indeed, for God’s mercy to be poured on the contrite sinner, his repentance
need not have run its full course. Even while still in the depths of the pit,
if the sinner but sincerely and earnestly turn to God with a budding repentance
in his heart, he will immediately find help, for God never disregards him. God
is charity, so the simple mention of the Most Holy Name of Jesus evokes love.
It is the infinite, limitless love that drove the Second Person of the Most
Holy Trinity to become man. It is the love expressed in the utter humiliation
of a God Who comes to us as a poor infant, born in a cave. It is the love shown
in those thirty years of hidden life spent in the humility of the strictest
poverty, in the three grueling years of evangelization, when the Son of Man
traveled highways and country roads, climbed mountains, crossed valleys, rivers
and lakes, visited cities and villages, walked through deserts and hamlets,
spoke to rich and poor, dispensing love and, for the most part, reaping
ingratitude. It is the love manifested in that supreme moment of the Last
Supper when, after generously washing the feet of His apostles, He instituted
the Holy Eucharist. It is the love of that last kiss bestowed on Judas, of that
poignant look at Peter, of those insults received and born patiently and
meekly, of those sufferings endured until the last drop of blood was shed.
Copilot’s Take
On this First Wednesday dedicated to St. Joseph, and in union with St. Francis Xavier’s missionary zeal, we turn to John 5:45 where Christ reminds us that our hope cannot rest in the law alone but must be fulfilled in Him. For months we have reflected on peace and love as the fruit of being “Not Afraid,” and now we shift to faith and hope, which sustain courage in the Lord. In a world burdened by blasphemy, broken families, and moral confusion, it is easy to despair, yet God does not abandon His creatures; His mercy pursues even the faintest repentance. Justice alone would condemn us, but mercy opens the gates of salvation, inviting us to return to the Good Shepherd. Hope, then, is not naïve optimism but trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who humbled Himself to be born in poverty, who endured rejection and betrayal, and who gave Himself fully in the Eucharist. In this hopeless age, our hope is Christ Himself—love incarnate, mercy unending, and courage for those who choose to be not afraid.
First Wednesday-The Practice of
the Nine First Wednesdays[2]
A
Devotion Promulgated by the Pious Union of St. Joseph
Every Wednesday is dedicated in a special way to St. Joseph. Make the Nine First Wednesdays [in a manner similar to the Nine First Fridays of the Sacred Heart] in honor of St. Joseph for a happy death, for yourself and your dear ones. As charity is one of the best ways to be worthy of the grace of a happy death, offer your First Wednesday Mass and Communion and devotions in honor of St. Joseph in a special way for the salvation of the dying, most especially for an undying sinner who is to lose his soul without the grace of final repentance.
Our Lord
permits St. Joseph to take from His Divine treasury with full hands in order to
give souls the treasures of Divine grace and mercy, like Joseph, the son of
Jacob, who took corn from the granaries of the King of Egypt to feed his
brethren and all who had recourse to him. From the heights of Heaven, the King
of Glory speaks to us the same words as Pharao spoke to the starving people of
Egypt: "Go to Joseph."
The
Go to Joseph Prayers
I.
I.
In the miseries of this vale of tears, to whom shall we have recourse, O
blessed Joseph, if not to thee, to whom thy beloved spouse Mary entrusted all
her rich treasures, that thou might keep them to our advantage? "go to my
spouse, Joseph," Mary seems to say to us, "and he will comfort you,
he will deliver you from the misfortunes which now oppress you and will make
you happy and contented" Have pity on us, therefore, O St. Joseph; have
pity on us through that love which thou didst cherish toward a spouse so worthy
and amiable.
Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be ...
II.
We
are fully conscious that we have offended the justice of God by our sins and
deserve His most severe chastisements. Not what shall be our place of refuge?
"go to Joseph," Jesus seems to say to us; "Go to Joseph, in whom
I was well pleased and whom I had for My foster father. To him, as to a father,
I have communicated all power, that he may use it for your good according to
his own desire." Pity us, therefore, O blessed Joseph, pity us, for the
great love thou didst bear toward a Son so admirable and so dear.
Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be ...
III.
Unhappily the sins we have committed call down upon the heaviest scourges: this
we must confess. In what ark shall we take refuge in order to be saved? Where
shall we find the blessed rainbow that shall give us comfort and hope in the
midst of our afflictions? "Go to Joseph," the Eternal father seems to
say to us: "Go to him who took My place on earth with regard to My Son
made man. I entrusted to his keeping My Son, who is the unfailing source of
grace; therefore, every grace is in his hands." Pity us, then, dear St.
Joseph, pity us by thy great love for Almighty God, Who has been so generous to
thee.
Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be ...
St. Francis Xavier[3]
FANCIS XAVIER, surnamed the apostle of the indies, was born of noble parents April 7, 1506, at Xavier, a castle near Pamplona, in Spain. In his eighteenth year he became one of the first members of the society of Jesus, at Paris, and from that moment gave himself up so earnestly and perseveringly to meditation, self-denial, and the practice of Christian virtues that by no desire was he so much animated as by that of laboring and suffering for the glory of god and the salvation of men, wherever and however it might please god. In the year 1541 he was sent as missionary to India. Of his labors and sufferings there his works bear witness. He preached the gospel in fifty-two kingdoms, great and small, of India and Japan, and baptized about a hundred thousand pagans and Mahametan’s. Wherever he came, the idols temples were thrown down, and churches built to the true god. He died in 1552, poor and destitute of all bodily comforts, but rejoicing in the lord, with these words, “Lord, in Thee have I hoped; let me never be confounded.” let us learn from St. Francis Xavier to labor, according to our ability, for the glory of god and the salvation of our neighbor. Although we cannot become missionaries, we yet can pray, and we can join the association for the propagation of the faith.
Things to Do:[4]
·
What does it mean to be an apostle? Consider how you might imitate
St. Francis Xavier in apostolic works in your own situation. Read this letter from St. Francis to St. Ignatius to get an idea of his zeal.
·
Read some more about St. Francis and ideas for Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis Xavier.
·
St. Francis was sent to India and Japan. Pray for the Church in
these countries, and learn more about the modern Church in India here and here, read about the history of the Church in Japan.
·
Find out about and support the Holy Childhood Association (St. Francis always started with
the children first).
·
Teach your children to pray St. Francis' favorite prayer,
"Give me souls" when they have some suffering to offer up.
·
Spend some time meditating on St. Ignatius' response to St.
Francis before his conversion, "What does it profit a man if he gains the
whole world but suffers the loss of his soul?"
·
Say the Litany of St. Francis Xavier.
·
Make a big pot of soup for the Feast of St. Francis Xavier.
·
Study some beautiful art depicting St. Francis Xavier at Olga's Gallery.
33 days to Christmas-Start the 33 days to
Eucharistic Glory[5]
Want to start a small group? Download our 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory Study Guide
Day
12
On
this 12th day, find purpose via a heart filled with the desire for holiness to build the
Kingdom of God
Copilot:
Finding purpose through a heart
filled with the desire for holiness is a profound journey that aligns you with
God's will and contributes to building His Kingdom. Here are some ways to
cultivate this desire and live out your purpose:
Embrace Holiness
1.
Daily Prayer: Begin and
end each day with prayer, seeking God's guidance and expressing your desire for
holiness.
2.
Scripture Study:
Regularly read the Bible to deepen your understanding of God's word and His
call to holiness.
3.
Sacraments: Participate
in the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Confession, to receive grace
and strengthen your resolve.
Live with Intention
1.
Acts of Kindness:
Perform acts of kindness and service, seeing each action as a way to build
God's Kingdom.
2.
Moral Integrity: Strive
to live with integrity, making choices that reflect your commitment to
holiness.
Cultivate Community
1.
Fellowship: Engage with
a faith community for support, encouragement, and accountability.
2.
Mentorship: Seek
guidance from spiritual mentors who can help you grow in holiness.
Reflect and Renew
1.
Meditation: Spend time
in silent meditation, focusing on God's presence and your desire for holiness.
2.
Examination of
Conscience: Regularly examine your actions and intentions, seeking areas for
growth and improvement.
Jesse Tree[6]
Jesse Tree Scriptures (The Symbols Are Only Suggestions)
December 1 Creation: Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-4 Symbols:
sun, moon, stars, animals, earth
December 2 Adam and Eve: Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24
Symbols: tree, man, woman
December 3 Fall
of Man: Gen. 3:1-7 and 23-24 Symbols: tree, serpent, apple with bite
Every
Wednesday is Dedicated to St. Joseph
The
Italian culture has always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you
could make Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of
pizza or spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday
evening Mass. You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are
adventurous, you could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the
evening a family night perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make
the day special.
·
Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Bible in a Year Day 155 Jesus is Lord
Today we read about Jesus' teachings and miracles that confirm his identity as
Lord. Fr. Mike emphasizes the divinity of Jesus revealed in his actions, and
clarifies historical facts about his life. The readings are Mark 3-4 and Psalm
20.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
Pope
·
Religion
in the home: Preschool for December
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
