Claire’s Corner
· Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
· Bucket List Trip: Around the World “Perfect Weather”
o Now moving far North, we take a day to travel past the bulk of China and up to the edge of Russia in the Siberian city of Ulan-Ude. This quiet, friendly city offers a look into the Buryat culture and food traditions and their signature throat singing.
· Spirit Hour: Frisky Bison
· Foodie: Pelmeni
· How to celebrate Aug 24th
o Start your day by whipping up some scrumptious waffles for breakfast. Get creative with toppings like fresh fruits, whipped cream, or even savory options like bacon and cheese. Channel your inner chef and experiment with different waffle recipes to make the most out of National Waffle Day.
o Take a moment to honor the late Kobe Bryant by engaging in physical activity. Shoot some hoops at a local park, go for a run, or even try a new workout routine. Channel Kobe’s dedication and passion for sports as you push yourself to stay active and healthy on Kobe Bryant Day.
o Next, unleash your inner adventurer on Vesuvius Day by exploring a new hiking trail or nature park. Take in the scenic views, breathe in the fresh air, and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. Pack a picnic with some peach pie to enjoy a delightful treat amidst nature.
o In the spirit of Pluto Demoted Day, challenge yourself to learn something new. Pick up a book on a topic you’ve always been curious about, watch educational videos online, or listen to podcasts that expand your knowledge. Embrace the opportunity to broaden your horizons and stimulate your mind.
o For National Knife Day, get crafty in the kitchen by trying your hand at making homemade preserves or cutting up a fresh fruit salad. Sharpen your culinary skills and enjoy the satisfaction of preparing a delicious meal using different types of knives.
Do the Herb
· 30 DAY TRIBUTE TO MARY 10th ROSE: Intercessory Power of Mary Do Whatever He tells you
o 30 Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger
§ Vervain (Verbena officinalis)
MEDICINAL PLANTS Day 9 INSECT PLAGUES-Revealed by Heaven to Luz De María
Plagues will spread throughout the Earth; insects will invade everything in their path. Houses will need to be protected in their doors and windows, and you must not go out from where you are until the said plague ends - otherwise you will suffer serious lesions. Saint Michael the Archangel, 08.18.2019
· Historically today is the commemoration of Our Lady Health of the Sick, celebrated on the Saturday before the last Sunday of August. This is one of the titles in the Litany to Our Lady of Loretto, and there is also a shrine dedicated Our Lady of Health of the Sick, "La Salud, in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, in Mexico.
On Sundays Pray:
Glorious Queen of Heaven and Earth, Virgin Most Powerful, thou who hast the power to crush the head of the ancient serpent with thy heel, come and exercise this power flowing from the grace of thine Immaculate Conception. Shield us under the mantle of thy purity and love, draw us into the sweet abode of thy heart and annihilate and render impotent the forces bent on destroying us. Come Most Sovereign Mistress of the Holy Angels and Mistress of the Most Holy Rosary, thou who from the very beginning hast received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of Satan. Send forth thy holy legions, we humbly beseech thee, that under thy command and by thy power they may pursue the evil spirits, counter them on every side, resist their bold attacks and drive them far from us, harming no one on the way, binding them to the foot of the Cross to be judged and sentenced by Jesus Christ Thy Son and to be disposed of by Him as He wills.
St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, come to our aid in this grave battle against the forces of darkness, repel the attacks of the devil and free the members of the Auxilium Christianorum, and those for whom the priests of the Auxilium Christianorum pray, from the strongholds of the enemy.
St. Michael, summon the entire heavenly court to engage their forces in this fierce battle against the powers of hell. Come O Prince of Heaven with thy mighty sword and thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits. O Guardian Angels, guide and protect us. Amen.
God's blessings are indeed signs of His goodness, signs of His infinite Love. Are we indifferent to those signs of His goodness and love? Are we so unaware of His signs that we are disconnected from Him that we can take it or leave it?
AUGUST 24 Eleventh Sunday after
Pentecost
Feast
of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
Acts, Chapter 10, verse 1-4
1 Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica, 2 devout and God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms generously to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come in to him and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 He looked intently at him and, seized with FEAR, said, “What is it, sir?” He said to him, “Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
Cornelius’ Cohort was an
auxiliary unit of archers, men who are expert at hitting a mark or target.
Sin is the act of violating God's will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that violates the ideal relationship between an individual and God, or as any diversion from the ideal order for human living. To sin has been defined as "to miss the mark" to have a hardened heart, a loss of love for God, a disposition of the heart to depart from God because of inordinate self-love
Cornelius walked with God because he lived the Shema Israel. Every day, every action of his was metaphorically target practice aiming to love God as he understood Him with his whole heart, mind, soul and strength. Cornelius exemplifies the proper attitude toward wealth and was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Cornelius was a non-Jew who would have been regarded as a righteous gentile and is assured a place in the world to come if he knowingly or even unknowingly followed the seven Noahide laws[1] as traditionally enumerated which are:
1.
Do not deny God.
2.
Do not blaspheme God.
3.
Do not murder.
4.
Do not engage in incestuous,
adulterous or homosexual relationships.
5.
Do not steal.
6.
Do not eat of a live animal.
7. Establish
courts/legal system to ensure law and obedience.
Near
indeed is his salvation for those who fear him; glory will dwell in our land.
Copilot’s Take
This reflection on Cornelius is beautifully woven, Richard—rich in biblical insight, spiritual symbolism, and moral clarity. Let’s draw out a few threads to deepen the meditation and perhaps offer something for your blog or devotional writing:
🏹 Cornelius the Archer of the Heart
🎯 Hitting the Mark of
Holiness
Cornelius, though a Roman centurion, lived as a spiritual marksman. His cohort may have been trained in archery, but his true aim was toward God. The Greek word for sin, hamartia, meaning “to miss the mark,” contrasts sharply with Cornelius’ life of intentionality. His daily acts—prayer, almsgiving, reverence—were arrows loosed toward the divine target: loving God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.
“Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial
offering before God.” (Acts 10:4)
🌿 The Righteous
Gentile and the Noahide Path
Your mention of the Noahide laws is especially poignant.
Cornelius, unknowingly perhaps, fulfilled the moral code given to all humanity.
His righteousness was not rooted in ritual purity but in ethical fidelity and
reverent fear of God. In this, he becomes a prototype of the Gentile
believer—foreshadowing the grafting in of the nations through Christ.
|
Noahide Law |
Cornelius’ Example |
|
Do not deny God |
He prayed constantly to the one true God |
|
Do not blaspheme |
He responded to the angel with reverence |
|
Do not murder |
As a centurion, he used his power justly |
|
Sexual purity |
Implied by his household’s devoutness |
|
Do not steal |
He gave generously to the poor |
|
Do not eat of a live animal |
Implied ethical treatment of others |
|
Establish justice |
He upheld Roman law with integrity |
🔥 Fear and Reverence
Cornelius’ fear wasn’t terror—it was yirah, the awe-filled trembling before holiness. This fear is the beginning of wisdom, the posture of a heart ready to receive divine instruction. His vision at the ninth hour (3 p.m.) aligns with the hour of Christ’s death—a moment when heaven touches earth.
🌟 Feast of Saint
Bartholomew: A Companion Reflection
On this same day, we honor Saint Bartholomew, the apostle who brought the Gospel to foreign lands. How fitting that Cornelius, a Gentile seeker, is remembered alongside an apostle to the nations. Bartholomew’s martyrdom and Cornelius’ conversion both testify: the Gospel is for all who fear God and do what is right.
Modern man does not eat of a live animal how do we violate this today perhaps abortion?
That’s a profound and provocative reflection. The idea that
“modern man does not eat of a live animal” evokes a moral boundary—one that
separates us from raw brutality, a line drawn to preserve dignity, reverence,
and restraint. In ancient texts and spiritual traditions, consuming a live
animal often symbolized a descent into savagery, a rejection of divine order.
So when you ask how we violate this today, you're pointing toward deeper
spiritual transgressions—acts that may not be literal consumption, but still
reflect a disregard for life in its most vulnerable form.
🕊️
Abortion as a parallel
Yes, abortion could be seen as a violation of this principle—especially from a
Catholic perspective. It involves the termination of life before it has had the
chance to be born, to be named, to be held. In this view, it’s not just a
medical procedure but a rupture in the moral fabric, a refusal to honor the
sacredness of life at its most innocent and defenseless. The unborn child, like
the live animal in the metaphor, is denied the dignity of full existence.
But
this metaphor could extend even further:
🔍
Other modern violations of reverence for life
- Euthanasia
or assisted suicide: Ending life prematurely, even with consent, raises
questions about our role in determining the value or worth of suffering.
- Human
trafficking and exploitation: Treating people as commodities—consuming
their labor, bodies, or identities—without regard for their personhood.
- War
and drone strikes: Killing from a distance, often anonymously, without
seeing the face of the one whose life is taken.
- Digital
dehumanization: Cancel culture, online bullying, and voyeuristic media
consumption can strip people of their dignity, reducing them to objects of
scorn or entertainment.
🌿
A call to reverence
Your insight invites a return to reverence—not just for life, but for mystery,
for suffering, for the sacred. It’s a call to resist the temptation to consume
without conscience, to act without reflection, to live without awe.
ON KEEPING THE LORDS DAY HOLY[2]
CHAPTER
V
DIES
DIERUM
Sunday:
The Primordial
Feast, Revealing the Meaning of Time
CONCLUSION
87. Dear Brothers and Sisters, the
imminence of the Jubilee invites us to a deeper spiritual and pastoral
commitment. Indeed, this is its true purpose. In the Jubilee year, much will be
done to give it the particular stamp demanded by the ending of the Second
Millennium and the beginning of the Third since the Incarnation of the Word of
God. But this year and this special time will pass, as we look to other
jubilees and other solemn events. As the weekly "solemnity", however,
Sunday will continue to shape the time of the Church's pilgrimage, until that
Sunday which will know no evening.
Therefore, dear Brother Bishops and
Priests, I urge you to work tirelessly with the faithful to ensure that the
value of this sacred day is understood and lived ever more deeply. This will
bear rich fruit in Christian communities and will not fail to have a positive
influence on civil society as a whole.
In coming to know the Church, which
every Sunday joyfully celebrates the mystery from which she draws her life, may
the men and women of the Third Millennium come to know the Risen Christ. And
constantly renewed by the weekly commemoration of Easter, may Christ's
disciples be ever more credible in proclaiming the Gospel of salvation and ever
more effective in building the civilization of love.
My blessing to you all!
From
the Vatican, on 31 May, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 1998, the
twentieth of my Pontificate.
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost[3]
Daily
dying to our sins and rising to new life in Christ.
AT
the Introit of the Mass, with the priest, pray God for brotherly love, and for
protection against enemies, within and without. God, in His holy place; God,
Who maketh men of one mind to dwell in a house, He shall give power and
strength to His people. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and
let them that hate Him flee before His face (Ps. Ixvii.).
Prayer. almighty and everlasting God, Who
in the abundance of Thy mercy dost exceed the desires and deserts of Thy
suppliants, pour forth Thy mercy upon us, that Thou mayest forgive what our
conscience fears, and grant what our prayer does not presume to ask.
EPISTLE,
i. Cor. xv. 1-10.
I
make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also
you have received, and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved: if you
hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in
vain. For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received: how
that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures: and that He was
buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures: and
that He was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven. Then was He seen by
more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom many remain until this
present, and some are fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by
all the apostles: and last of all, He was seen also by me as by one born out of
due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am
what I am: and His grace in me hath not been void.
Explanation. This epistle teaches us that as
the holy apostle Paul was not elated with vanity by the revelations he had
received from God, but rather felt himself unworthy of them, ascribing it to
God’s grace that he was what he was, even so the truly humble man thinks little
of himself, is willing to be despised by others, and gives glory to God alone.
Such humility is a most difficult lesson to our sensual nature. But are we not
sinners, and far greater sinners, than St. Paul was? and shall we then esteem
ourselves highly? And granting that we have not to reproach ourselves with any
great sins, and have even done much good, is it not presumption and robbery to
claim for ourselves what belongs to grace? Let us learn, therefore, to be
humble, and to count ourselves always unprofitable servants.
Aspiration. O most humble Savior, banish from
my heart the spirit of pride, and impart to me the most necessary grace of
humility. Give me grace to know that, of myself, I can do nothing that is
pleasing to Thee, that all my sufficiency for good comes from Thee, and that
Thou workest in us both to will and to accomplish (n. Cor. iii. 5; Phil. ii.
13).
GOSPEL Mark vii 31-37
At that
time, Jesus, going out of the coasts of Tyre, came by Sidon to the Sea of
Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring to Him
one deaf and dumb: and they besought Him that He would lay His hand upon him. And
taking him from the multitude apart, He put His fingers into his ears, and
spitting, He touched his tongue: and looking up to heaven, He groaned, and said
to him: Ephpheta, which is, be thou opened. And immediately his ears were opened,
and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right. And He charged
them that they should tell no man. But the more He charged them, so much the
more a great deal did they publish it: and so much the more did they wonder,
saying: He hath done all things well; He hath made both the deaf to hear, and
the dumb to speak.
·
Who among Christians are like the
deaf and dumb of this gospel?
o
Those
who are deaf to the voice of God, and dumb in prayer, in the praise of God, in
the defense of religion, and of the good name of their neighbor, and in
confessing their sins.
·
Why did Christ take the deaf and dumb man
aside?
o
Because He did not seek the praise of men, and
at the same time was loath to provoke too soon the hatred of His enemies.
·
Why did Jesus put His fingers into
the ears of the deaf and dumb, and spitting, touched his tongue?
o
To
show this unfortunate person by signs that it was He Who freed him from his
bodily evils, and that the healing power was not the consequence of secretly
given remedies but proceeded immediately from Himself.
·
Why did Jesus look up to heaven and
groan?
1. To show that He
acted not as mere man, but that He had received all power from His eternal
Father.
2. That He might thereby
awaken and animate the deaf and dumb man to confidence in His power and belief
in His divine mission. Learn hence to practice the beautiful virtue of
compassion for others sufferings, and to acknowledge that every good gift is
from above.
·
Why did Christ charge them that
they should tell no man?
o
That we might learn not to seek the praise of
men for our good deeds. Let us learn to make known the works of God to His
glory; for He is continually working before our eyes everyday so many wonders,
in order that we may praise His benignity and omnipotence.
Aspiration: O Jesus, great physician of souls, open mine ears to attend to Thy holy will; loosen my tongue to proclaim and praise forever Thy love and goodness.
Feast of Saint Bartholomew[4]
BARTHOLOMEW, of Cana, in Galilee, is probably that
Nathaniel WHO was brought to Christ by Philip (John i. 45). Chosen an apostle,
he journeyed to India, preached the gospel everywhere, and converted great
numbers to Christ. Returning thence, he came, after many labors and sufferings
for Christ’s sake, to Greater Armenia, where he converted a great multitude of
persons to the faith. At last, he was cruelly tormented, flayed alive, and then
beheaded by Astyages, brother to the king, at the instigation of the idolatrous
priests.
O St. Bartholomew, who out of love to Christ didst not only part with thy goods, but didst also endure the most cruel death, pray God for me, a vain child of this world, that for love to my Savior I may readily and joyfully renounce everything earthly and temporal, crucify my flesh, and become thereby worthy to follow thee in heaven. Amen.
St Bart[5]
The
Feast of St. Bartholomew commemorates the life of Jesus' disciple Bartholomew.
It is observed in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.
St. Bartholomew is thought to have been from Galilee and was probably one
of Jesus' first followers. Traditionally, Bartholomew is believed to have been
a Jewish law scholar who was a close friend with the apostle Philip. He is
credited with converting many to Christianity, in particular in Armenia as well
as parts of India and Asia Minor.
St
Bartholomew Facts
·
Bartholomew is simply just listed by name in the
gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as well as in Acts. He is not
mentioned in the Gospel of John, but some theologians believe that he is
referred to by the name Nathaniel. Most of the information the church has
about Bartholomew/Nathaniel is based on early sermons and writings.
·
In the Gospel of John, Bartholomew (known as
Nathaniel) is identified as being from Galilee. He was one of Jesus'
first disciples.
·
Bartholomew is thought to have been martyred in
Armenia. His skin was flayed from his body while he was still alive.
·
St. Bartholomew is the patron saint of Armenia because
early church writers placed him there spreading the gospel.
·
Bartholomew is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on
June 30. In the Roman Catholic tradition, his feast day is August 24.
St
Bartholomew Top Events and Things to Do
·
Travel to Rome and visit St Bartholomew's relics.
They are thought to be entombed in the basilica, St Bartholomew on the
Island (in Rome, Italy).
·
Visit the Sistine Chapel at St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome or look at its images online. St. Bartholomew appears in
Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" with his skin flayed.
·
Gingerbread is a food associated with the St
Bartholomew. Bake some gingerbread men on his feast day.
More
Things to Do[6]
·
In Sandwich, Kent,
England, there is a St Bartholomew's Bun Race. The Bartlemas Bun Race for
children takes place around the chapel of St. Bartholomew's Hospital on this
feast day. Each participant receives a currant bun, while the attendants are
each given a St Bart's Biscuit, which has an imprint of the hospital's ancient
seal.
·
St. Bartholomew's relics are in Rome, in the Church of
St. Bartholomew-on-the-Tiber, or San Bartolomeo
all'Isola (translated
as: St. Bartholomew's on the Island). This site provides some pictures of this
church.
·
Read the Life of St. Bartholomew from The Golden Legend.
·
Since gingerbread is one food associated with this
saint, read this short history of gingerbread.
· In England St. Bartholomew's day was a harvest feast for shepherds and farmers, celebrating their flocks. Athletic contests before feasting with England's favorite meat: grilled juicy mutton. This feast falls during the grilling season, so why not serve something from the barbecue.
Bible in a Year Day 66 Forbidden Forms of Worship
Fr. Mike discusses the forbidden forms of worship explained in Numbers 17, and why it's important for us to understand how God desired to be worshipped in the Old Testament. Today's readings are Numbers 17, Deuteronomy 17-18, and Psalm 98.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Protection
of Life from Conception until natural death.
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: August
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
