Friday, January 2, 2026

NIC’s Corner-Try grilled ‘Cevapi-only meat allowed on 1^st Friday

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, (and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)

· Celebration of Life Month-Life, Liberty and Happiness but life first

· Try a buffet, it is national buffet day.

(1 John 4:8)

· Get creative “International Creative Month”

· Bucket List trip: Alexandrea, Egypt

· Iceman’s 40 devotion

· Try “Berenjenas Fritas”

· Operation Purity

· Fish Friday

Rich vs Poor Tour entry for 🇩🇪 Germany vs 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe — Cathedrals of Crisis and Chapels of Struggle.
Germany represents wealth, heritage, and secular decline; Zimbabwe embodies poverty, resilience, and missionary endurance. Together, they extend NIC’s Corner into the tension between institutional collapse and grassroots survival.

🇩🇪 Germany — Wealthy, Industrial, and Crisis Catholic

GDP per capita (PPP): ~$72,300 USD (2024)

🧮 Why Germany Ranks High

Industrial Powerhouse: Automobiles, engineering, and chemicals anchor exports.
EU Leadership: Berlin shapes European policy and finance.
Social Infrastructure: Universal healthcare, pensions, and education.
Cultural Prestige: Gothic cathedrals, Baroque monasteries, and pilgrimage routes.
Political Stability: Strong institutions despite demographic challenges.

✝️ Catholic Landscape

Membership: ~19.8 million Catholics (23.7% of population).
Practice: Only 6.6% attend Sunday Mass; fewer than 30 priestly ordinations in 2024.
Historic Dioceses: Cologne, Munich-Freising, Regensburg, and Berlin.
Liturgical Heritage: Gregorian chant, Eucharistic devotion, Marian shrines.
Civic Role: Catholic schools, hospitals, and charities remain influential.

⚠️ Challenges

Secularization: Nearly half of Germans profess no religion.
Mass Exodus: 321,000 formal resignations in 2024.
Vocational Collapse: Sharp decline in priestly vocations.
Abuse Legacy: Trust eroded by scandals.
Synodal Path: Ongoing debates over reform and identity.

🌿 Pilgrimage Cue
Germany is a journey of cathedrals in crisis—where the Eucharist is offered beneath soaring spires, yet pews stand empty, and the Church wrestles with memory, reform, and survival.

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe — Poor, Struggling, and Missionary Catholic

GDP per capita (PPP): ~$3,450 USD (2024)

🧮 Why Zimbabwe Ranks Low

Economic Fragility: Inflation, unemployment, and currency instability.
Resource Strain: Agriculture and mining underperform amid droughts.
Infrastructure Gaps: Hospitals, schools, and transport underfunded.
Aid Reliance: NGOs and Church missions fill social voids.
Political Instability: Governance challenges weaken development.

✝️ Catholic Landscape

Membership: ~2 million Catholics (≈8–9% of population).
Dioceses: Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru, Masvingo, Hwange, Chinhoyi, Gokwe.
Missionary Legacy: Jesuits and religious sisters built schools and clinics.
Liturgical Life: Mass in Shona, Ndebele, and English; strong Marian devotion.
Community Role: Catholicism anchors education, health, and civic life.

⚠️ Challenges

Poverty: Limits catechesis, sacramental preparation, and parish resources.
Vocational Strain: Few priests for vast rural dioceses.
Political Pressure: Past tensions between bishops and state.
Youth Exodus: Migration weakens parish vitality.

🌿 Pilgrimage Cue
Zimbabwe is a journey of chapels in struggle—where the Eucharist is celebrated in crowded parish halls, and the Church sings its faith in endurance, solidarity, and hope against hardship.

🕊️ Editorial Reflection

Germany and Zimbabwe reveal Catholicism’s paradox: one rich in stone but poor in spirit, the other poor in wealth but rich in witness. In Germany, Catholicism is a cathedral of crisis. In Zimbabwe, it is a chapel of struggle. The Rich vs Poor Tour reminds us that the Gospel is not bound by prosperity or poverty—it flourishes in Cologne’s spires and Harare’s parish halls, in the silence of secular decline and the song of survival.

Where does the Church feel more alive—in the echo of empty cathedrals or the cry of faithful resilience?

January 2 First Friday-Saint Basil the Great

9^th Day of Christmas-Motivation

Psalm 23, verse 4:

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will FEAR no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.

Saint Pope John Paul II was an example of someone who walked through the valley of the shadow of death and feared no evil. The Lord’s rod and staff sustained him through the nightmare of the Nazis and the Communists. Both were evil empires devoted to the destruction of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all except for the few selected elite. These empires systematically replaced God with the rule of the chosen ones of the State. People from both the Fatherland and the Motherland sat by and watched the evil grow without taking decisive action, making the adage ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men (or women) do nothing.’ Remember to measure our nation and our politics with Gods Rod (Rods were often used in ancient times to measure) and not the political States or the media nor the opinion of the rich and the powerful. Let us be ever ready to speak up for what is righteous using Gods rod, which are His laws of justice and mercy, working tirelessly and remember Saint Pope John Paul II words of encouragement, “I plead with you – never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”

Let us also carry with us for the journey the Staff of God which is truth, not worldly truth but Gods truth. “The word of truth, publicly, indeed almost liturgically, proclaimed was the antidote the Rhapsodic Theater sought to apply to the violent lies of the Occupation. The tools for fighting evil included speaking truth to power.” [1]

Copilot’s Take

On January 2, the feast of Saint Basil the Great and the ninth day of Christmas, we are reminded by Psalm 23:4 that even in the valley of shadows, God’s rod and staff sustain us with justice and truth. Saint John Paul II embodied this courage, enduring the terrors of Nazism and Communism without fear, proclaiming hope and urging us to “be not afraid.” His witness teaches us that motivation is not rooted in worldly power or opinion but in God’s presence, which measures our lives by His laws of mercy and steadies us with His truth. Like Basil, who defended the faith and cared for the poor, and John Paul, who spoke truth to power, we too are called to rise with courage, resist deception, and act when others remain silent. Motivation in this season is not mere enthusiasm but the conviction that God walks with us, empowering us to proclaim His truth and live His justice with steadfast hope.

First Friday and the Sacred Heart of Jesus[2]

ALTHOUGH many pious souls had been accustomed, in the silence of their secluded lives, to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus with great devotion, still our divine Savior desired that the boundless love of His Heart might be known by all men, and that a new fire of love should thereby be kindled in the cold hearts of Christians. For this purpose, He made use of a frail and little-known instrument in the person of Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Order of the Visitation, at Parayle-Monial, France. One day, when, according to her custom during the octave of Corpus Christi, she was deeply engaged in devotions before the Blessed Sacrament, the divine Savior appeared to her, showed her His Heart burning with love, and said: “Behold this Heart, which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for Me in this sacrament of love. And what is most painful to Me is that they are hearts consecrated to Me. It is for this reason I ask thee that the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be appropriated to a special feast to honor My Heart by communicating on that day and making reparation for the indignity that it has received. And I promise that My Heart shall dilate to pour out abundantly the influences of its love on all that will render it this honor or procure its being rendered. Margaret obeyed, but met everywhere the greatest opposition, until finally, when she became mistress of novices, she succeeded, by the help of her divine Spouse, in animating her young charges to venerate the sacred Heart of Jesus. But this was not sufficient for her zeal. She persevered until she softened the opposition of the nuns and kindled in all an equal devotion towards the most sacred Heart. Thence the devotion spread to the adjoining dioceses, where confraternities in honor of the most sacred Heart of Jesus soon sprung up. Pope Clement XIII., after having instituted a most rigorous examination of the whole affair, commanded that the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus should be solemnly celebrated throughout the whole Catholic Church every year, on the first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.

The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

1. Object of this Devotion.

In the divine Heart of Our Savior, we must not imagine an inanimate heart, separated from the person of Christ, but the living heart of the God-Man, the center of all His affections, the fountain of all His virtues, the most touching emblem of His infinite love to man. The Church venerates the cross, the blood, and the wounds of the divine Savior, by feasts which have their proper masses and lessons, in order, by meditation upon these objects, to awaken in us a more fervent devotion to the Redeemer. How much more worthy, then, of our devotion is the sacred Heart of Our Savior, since all its thoughts, movements, and affections aim at our salvation, and it is always ready to receive truly penitent sinners, to pardon them, to restore them again to God s favor, and make them partakers of eternal happiness!

2. Excellence of this Devotion.

It is, writes the venerable P. Simon Gourdan:

a. A holy devotion, for therein men venerate in Christ those affections and motions of His Heart by which He sanctified the Church, glorified His Heavenly Father, and showed Himself to men as a perfect example of the most sublime holiness.

b. An ancient devotion of the Catholic Church, which, instructed by St. Paul, the great apostle, has at all times acknowledged the great beneficence of the divine and sacred Heart of Jesus.

c. An approved devotion, for the Holy Scriptures everywhere admonish us to renew the heart, by changing our lives; to penetrate it with true sorrow, to inflame it with divine love, and to adorn it by the practice of all virtues. When, therefore, a new heart is promised us, by which to direct our lives, that can be no other than the Heart of Jesus, which is to us the pattern of all excellence, and which we must follow if we would be saved.

d. A perfect devotion, as being the origin of all other devotions. For the Heart of Jesus is the inexhaustible treasury from which the blessed Mother of God, and all other saints have derived their graces, their virtues, their life, their spiritual goods. Filled first with treasures from this source, different servants of God have instituted and established other devotions.

e. A profitable devotion, for thereby we have brought before our eyes the very fountain of life and grace, and can draw directly from it, increasing in ourselves all virtues, by adoring this divine Heart, meditating on its holy affections, and endeavoring to imitate them.

f. A devotion pleasing to God, for thus we adore God, as Christ requires, in spirit and in truth, serving Him inwardly in our hearts, and endeavoring to please Him. Finally, it is:

g. A useful devotion, since its whole object is to unite us most intimately with Christ as members of Him, her head, to make us live by and according to His spirit, to have one heart and soul with Him, and through grace finally to become one with Him, which is and must be the object of all devotions.

As this devotion is, then, so excellent, we cannot sufficiently recommend it to all who are anxious for their salvation. While everyone can practice this devotion, and adore the sacred Heart of Jesus, by himself, there is a greater blessing when pious souls unite and form a confraternity for practicing the devotion. Hesitate not, Christian soul, to engage in this devotion, and to join in the adoration of that sacred Heart of Jesus in which all men find propitiation, the pious, confidence; sinners, hope; the afflicted, consolation; the sick, support; the dying, refuge; the elect, joy and delight.

An Offering to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Whoever says the following prayer before the image of the most sacred Heart of Jesus, with sincere sorrow for his sins, gains each time an indulgence of one hundred days; and by saying it daily for a month, he can on any one day gain a plenary indulgence, if he makes his confession, receives communion, and prays according to the intention of the Church:

“My loving Jesus, I (N.N.) give Thee my heart; and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, out of the grateful love I bear Thee, and as reparation for all my unfaithfulness; and with Thy aid I purpose never to sin again.”

St. Basil the Great-9th day of Christmas

The nine lady’s dancing is a sign of the fruits of the Holy Spirit for those who are not afraid: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It also reminds us of the nine choirs of angels which are commanded by God to assist us in our journey. Today reflect on the nine choirs and call upon their aid. Devotion to the Angels.

Christmas Calendar[3]

Read: Today we read about St. Basil the Great, revered as a Doctor of the Church.

Reflect: "St. Basil, in a much-quoted homily, once declared that the bread we clutch in our hands belongs to the starving, the cloak we keep locked in our closet belongs to the naked, the shoes we are not using belong to the barefooted. In these ways in the post-biblical age Christians strove to keep a religious perspective on their use of material things."

Pray: As many prepare to return to work after this Holy season, say a prayer for work.

Act: St. Basil once wrote, "Do everything possible to make yourself worthy of the Kingdom. Do not disdain the invitation you have received" (Exhortation to Baptism, 7-8).

When I think of all this, I am left terrorized and swallowed up with fear that, because of fickleness of heart or preoccupation with things of no importance, I may weaken in my love of God and even become a reason of shame or disorder for Christ.”

St. Basil’s Bread[4]

In the Eastern Churches St. Basil's Bread is blessed on his feast day. This blessing has been adapted for home use. The family gathers at the table where the bread is placed along with an icon of St. Basil (if available). The parts marked leader are done by the father or other suitable person.

Prayer

Leader: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us!

All: Amen.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (three times) Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

Most holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us of our sins. Master, forgive our transgressions. Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities for Your Name's sake.

Lord, have mercy. (three times)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Leader: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever.

All: Amen.

Troparion - Tone 1 Your voice resounds throughout the world * which has excepted the lessons so well taught by you. * You have given explanation of divine truths. * You have clarified the nature of created things. * You have made a rule of life for men. * By your royal priesthood, O venerable father Basil, * intercede with Christ to save our souls.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

Kondakion - Tone 4 O venerable and heavenly inspired Basil, * you were a firm foundation of the Church * by giving to all treasure * and impressing them with your teachings.

Leader: Let us pray to the Lord. All: Lord, have mercy.

Prayer of Blessing

Leader: O Lord, King of the Ages and Creator of all things; You are abounding in mercy and plenteous in goodness! You accepted the gifts of the Wise Men in Bethlehem. You are the Bread of Life Who came down from heaven. You put times and years under Your authority and hold our lives in Your hands. Hear us on this auspicious day of the beginning of this New Year of (name the year) and bless + this sweet bread which is offered for Your glory and honor and in memory of our Father among the Saints Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia. O Generous One, look down from heaven and send down Your heavenly gifts upon us, those who prepared this bread and all who shall partake of it, because we have placed our hope in You, the Eternal Living God! Bless our coming and going, enrich our lives with Your abundant blessings and direct our steps in the working of Your Divine commandments, because we shall not live by bread alone. Through the intercessions of Your all-pure and holy Mother, of our Father among the Saints, Basil the Great, and of all Your Saints, who have pleased You over the ages.

All: Amen.

The leader takes a knife and incises the sign of the Cross in the bottom of the loaf. It is then cut. It is eaten after the prayers are complete.

Closing Prayers

All: Lord, have mercy. (three times)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word, true Birth-giver of God, we magnify you!

Leader: Lord Jesus Christ, our true God, circumcised in the flesh, through the prayers of His most pure Mother, of Saint Basil the Great, whom we honor this day and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us.

All: Amen.

Remember to pray for souls in purgatory[5]

Reigning from 1198 to 1216, Pope Innocent III was one of the most influential and important popes of his era.

He granted Francis of Assisi and his small band of follower’s permission to found the Order of Friars Minor; he convened the Fourth Lateran Council which, among other things, dogmatically defined the doctrine of transubstantiation; and he organized great efforts to combat heresy in Europe and repel invading Muslim forces.

Then, after more than 18 years as pope, he died suddenly. But that wasn’t the last he was heard from. When a Christian dies, Catholics believe, they may go straight to heaven if they lack any outstanding temporal punishment due to sins they’ve committed. But many Christians will go to purgatory first, where, by the grace of Jesus Christ, they are purified and prepared to enter into the presence of the all-holy God.

The story goes that on the day Pope Innocent III died, or soon thereafter, he appeared to St. Lutgardis of Aywières in Belgium. St. Lutgardis is considered to have been one of the great mystics of the 13th century, known for her miracles, visions, levitation, and particularly adept teaching.

When Pope Innocent appeared to her, he thanked her for her prayers during his lifetime, but explained that he was in trouble: he had not gone straight to heaven but was in purgatory, suffering its purifying fire for three specific faults he had committed during his life.

And he made a desperate plea for help:

“Alas! It is terrible; and will last for centuries if you do not come to my assistance. In the name of Mary, who has obtained for me the favor of appealing to you, help me!”

Then he vanished.

With a sense of urgency, St. Lutgardis quickly told her fellow religious sisters what she had seen and prayed for his soul.

Remember to pray for the holy souls in purgatory!

Bible in a Year Day 185 Hezekiah’s Prayer

Fr. Mike continues to emphasize Hezekiah's faithfulness as he turns to God in prayer in the midst of battle, and reinstitutes the Passover feast. Today we read 2 Kings 19, 2 Chronicles 30, and Psalm 143.

Motivation and Inspiration Day[6]

It’s January 2nd, the beginning of a whole new year, and you’ve just gotten over your hangover—what time could possibly be better to be motivated and inspired?

You have a whole 365 days ahead of you, and now is the time to start making them count! Even though to many, January 2nd is in fact just about finally getting over your New Year’s Party hangover, the history of Motivation and Inspiration Day is much more somber. National Motivation & Inspiration Day was passed by The United States Congress on December 18th, 2001, after the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. That was when Kevin L. McCrudden became the first and so far, only motivational and leadership speaker to ever have had such a day passed by Congress, acknowledging the importance of “motivation” and “inspiration” in our daily lives. After the tragedy that was September 11th, 2001, McCrudden felt that all Americans needed something to remind them that there were still many things to live on for. The reality was bleak at that time, and many people felt sad, scared or lost—especially those whose family members or friends had gotten killed suddenly in the World Trade Center attacks of just a few months before. McCrudden originally intended for this day to be dedicated to helping people become the best they can be and maximize their potential through the creation of annual goals. The idea caught on quite quickly, and Motivation and Inspiration Day is now celebrated in different places across the world as well as in the United States, encouraging people everywhere to change their lives for the better.

How to Celebrate Motivation and Inspiration Day

There are a few things you can do to celebrate this special day. Firstly, taking into consideration the events of September 11th, 2001 that led to the creation of Motivation and Inspiration Day, it would be good to just spend a minute or two in silence out of respect for the men and women who lost their lives to terrorism so suddenly that day. And then honor their memory by appreciating your own life and making it better! There are many ways to do this. One is to think of someone in your life who inspires you, whether it’s your mother, father, spouse or friend and find a way to show them an appreciation for being who they are. The gesture doesn’t have to be a grand one—take your mother, father or friend out to lunch and talk about their life and what helped to make them as strong as they are, thank them for showing you how to deal with life’s challenges. Buy a nice bottle of wine for your spouse and be sure to spend the evening with him or her, telling them how glad you are to be able to share your life with them. All too often in life, people take their close ones for granted, but we should never miss a chance to tell people who are special and inspirational to us just how much we appreciate them. You can also start doing something you’ve wanted to do for a long time but have kept putting off. Sign up for a martial arts class, start learning a new language, make a list of books to read, or buy a cookbook full of healthy recipes to make for your family instead of eating takeout every evening. Whatever way you decide to celebrate Motivation and Inspiration Day, make sure it changes your life for the better and helps you appreciate life more!

Fitness Friday- “on the sixth day God created man”

Charles Atlas Inspired Workout[7]

While several of these movements aren’t very familiar to today’s generation of athletes and fitness enthusiasts, it can be argued that dynamic tension can have a place in the modern fitness program.

Below is a workout that can challenge the entire body and be performed in around 25 minutes. This workout will include movements and time for each. Squeeze and contract the muscle like you would with resistance. Feel a stretch before performing the next rep. Take 30 seconds of rest between each exercise before moving on to the next.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Pushup (2 Sec Hold)	1	10
Standing Chest Fly (2 Sec Hold)	1	10
Row Squeeze (2 Sec Hold)	1	10
Vertical Pull	1	10
High Elbow Row	1	10
Shoulder Press	1	10
Bicep Curl (1 Sec Hold)	1	10
Close Grip Push Up (1 Sec Hold)	1	10
Squat	1	15
Good Morning	1	15
Seated Toe Raise	1	15
Standing Calf Raise	1	15
Crunch	1	10
Single Lying Leg Raise	1	10 Each

Give the program a shot for yourself. It can be performed as a beginner routine for up to 6 weeks

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Restoring the Church

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Make reparations to the Holy Face

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Rosary

[1] George Wiegel, Witness to Hope, 1999, p66.

[2] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.

[3]http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/christmas/christmas-january-2.cfm

[4]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=968

[5]https://www.churchpop.com/2015/11/01/the-sobering-story-of-the-pope-who-begged-for-help-from-purgatory/

[6]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/motivation-and-inspiration-day/

charles-atlas-workout

🚢 Mystery Liner (1934)

Pre‑Code Thriller • Edgar Wallace Adaptation • Remote‑Control Sabotage

Sources:

🎬 Summary (Clean, Accurate, Atmospheric)

Mystery Liner is a compact, 62‑minute thriller from Monogram Pictures, directed by William Nigh and based on Edgar Wallace’s short story “The Ghost of John Holling”.

Captain John Holling (Noah Beery) is removed from command after a nervous breakdown—though the film hints that something darker may be at play. His replacement, Captain Downey, takes charge just as the ship is chosen for a groundbreaking experiment: Professor Grimson’s new system that allows a vessel to be steered remotely from land.

But spies are listening.

A foreign power wants the technology, and the liner becomes a floating pressure cooker of sabotage, coded messages, and murder. A military investigator, a mysterious traveler, a sharp‑eyed old woman, and a watchman (played by Gabby Hayes) all become pieces in a tense, low‑budget but cleverly staged thriller.

The film was notable enough to be screened at the 1934 International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art in Venice—the precursor to the Venice Film Festival.

✝️ Catholic Moral Lessons (Thriller Edition)

Even in a Poverty Row thriller, the moral architecture is surprisingly rich.

1. Technology without virtue becomes a weapon

The remote‑control system is morally neutral; the intentions of the user determine its fruit.
Lesson: Catholic teaching insists that human freedom—not machinery—carries moral weight.

2. Fear distorts judgment

Captain Holling’s breakdown is a cautionary tale: fear unacknowledged becomes vulnerability.
Lesson: Courage is not the absence of fear but the ordering of fear toward the good.

3. Truth surfaces under pressure

The ship becomes a crucible where hidden loyalties are exposed.
Lesson: Crisis reveals character; grace strengthens it.

4. Vigilance is a virtue

The spies succeed because people assume peace where vigilance is required.
Lesson: Catholic tradition calls this custodia cordis—guarding the heart.