ICEMANforChrist

This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. 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. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.

Have We Entered the Biggest Crisis the Church Has Faced?

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Dara’s Corner

· Foodie

o Start your day with a satisfying breakfast featuring cheese curds. Head to a local farmer’s market or grocery store to pick up these tasty treats. Whether you enjoy them plain or in a dish like poutine, cheese curds are a delightful way to start your day.

o For lunch, celebrate with a flavorful shawarma. Look for a nearby Middle Eastern restaurant or food truck that offers this delicious dish. If you’re feeling creative, you can even try making your own shawarma at home using simple ingredients like chicken, beef, or lamb.

o For dinner, consider trying your hand at cooking roast pheasant. While this dish may seem fancy, it can be a surprisingly affordable option for a special meal. Look for recipes online and enjoy the process of preparing and savoring this unique dish.

o End your day with a cozy indoor activity like mushroom foraging or cooking with mushrooms on National Mushroom Day. Visit a farmer’s market or grocery store to pick up a variety of mushrooms and experiment with incorporating them into your favorite dishes.

· Spirit Hour: Carmelite Water

· How to celebrate Oct 15th

o In between meals, take a moment to practice good hand hygiene on Global Handwashing Day. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to help prevent the spread of germs and keep yourself and others healthy.

o In the afternoon, embrace movement and self-expression on National Dance/Movement Therapy Advocacy Day. Put on your favorite song and dance around your living room, or try out a virtual dance class to explore new styles of movement.

o As the day winds down, take a moment to appreciate the contributions of rural women on International Day of Rural Women. Consider supporting local female farmers or artisans by purchasing their products or sharing their stories on social media.

o Lastly, take a moment to acknowledge the significance of National Grouch Day. Embrace your inner grouch and indulge in some self-care activities like taking a relaxing bath or enjoying a favorite book or movie.

🌍 Dara’s Corner: Aboard The World

East African Coastal Pilgrimage — October 15–22, 2025
Theme: Currents of Clarity & Embodied Grace
Coordinates: Beginning near Zanzibar (–6.1659 S / 39.2026 E), sailing toward Mombasa, Lamu, and the Somali coast

🕊️ Day 1: October 15 — Anchoring near Zanzibar
• Closing Rosary Procession on deck—each decade a threshold crossed
• Final Meal: Swahili feast—coconut rice, grilled tilapia, banana fritters, rosé
• Final Toast: Psalm 27: “One thing I ask… to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.”

🌺 Day 2: October 16 — Sailing toward Pemba Island
• Morning Ritual: Blessing of hands with clove oil—honoring the labor of healing
• Meal: Spiced cassava with grilled octopus and hibiscus tea
• Reflection: “The body is a vessel of mercy—every scar a doorway.”
• Hospitality Arc: Share a story of a scar—physical or spiritual—and its grace

🌿 Day 3: October 17 — Offshore Tanga, Tanzania
• Sunrise Psalm: “Let the rivers clap their hands…” (Psalm 98)
• Symbolic Meal: Tamarind-glazed chicken, baobab salad, cinnamon rice
• Evening Ritual: Circle of gratitude—naming the unseen helpers of the journey
• Reflection: “Gratitude is the fire that sanctifies memory.”

🕌 Day 4: October 18 — Approaching Mombasa, Kenya
• Pilgrimage Station: Fort Jesus—prayer for justice and protection
• Meal: Kenyan coastal platter—pilau, coconut beans, grilled prawns
• Hospitality Arc: Write a blessing for a child in exile; offer it at the rail
• Evening Psalm: “You hem me in—behind and before…” (Psalm 139)

🌊 Day 5: October 19 — Sailing toward Lamu Archipelago
• Morning Silence: Fast of words—honoring the wisdom of restraint
• Symbolic Meal: Sweet potato stew with tamarind, cardamom bread
• Reflection: “Silence is not absence—it is the presence of reverence.”
• Hospitality Arc: Offer a silent gesture of mercy to someone aboard

🕯️ Day 6: October 20 — Offshore Kiwayu Island
• Dawn Anointing: Oils of frankincense and sea salt—prayer for clarity
• Meal: Grilled snapper with mango chutney, millet cakes
• Reflection: “Clarity is not certainty—it is the courage to see.”
• Evening Ritual: Candle procession—each flame a prayer for discernment

🌅 Day 7: October 21 — Sailing toward Kismayo, Somalia
• Pilgrimage Station: Threshold of lament—prayer for regions in conflict
• Meal: Somali spiced lamb, rice with raisins, banana stew
• Reflection: “Lament is not despair—it is the mercy of remembering.”
• Hospitality Arc: Write a prayer for peace; release it into the sea

🕊️ Day 8: October 22 — Offshore Ras Kamboni
• Closing Ritual: Eucharistic sunrise—bread and sea, mercy and fire
• Final Meal: Coastal fusion—grilled seafood, coconut flatbread, rosewater tea
• Final Psalm: “The Lord will guard your going and your coming…” (Psalm 121)
• Benediction: Each pilgrim receives a shell—etched with a word of grace

Here’s a 7-course East African coastal-inspired meal plan from your pilgrimage menu, complete with links to authentic recipes so you can recreate the flavors aboard The World.

Each course honors the themes of Currents of Clarity & Embodied Grace, blending Swahili, Somali, and coastal traditions into a liturgical feast of mercy and fire.

🍽️ 7-Course Pilgrimage Meal Plan

1. Starter: Banana Fritters (Swahili-style dessert as appetizer)

Golden, crispy banana fritters evoke the sweetness of welcome and the warmth of community.

🧑‍🍳 Recipe: West African Banana Fritters

2. Soup: Spiced Cassava Broth with Clove & Coconut

A gentle cassava broth infused with clove and coconut, served warm to honor healing hands.

🧑‍🍳 Use cassava base and infuse with coconut milk and clove oil. Pair with this cassava preparationand adapt for broth.

3. Seafood Course: Grilled Tilapia (African Style)

Whole tilapia marinated in garlic, ginger, and African spices, grilled to smoky perfection.

🧑‍🍳 Recipe: African Grilled Tilapia

4. Main Course: Somali Spiced Lamb with Raisin Rice

Tender lamb sautéed with cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, served over fragrant rice with raisins.

🧑‍🍳 Recipe: Somali Lamb Suqaar
🧑‍🍳 Recipe: Spiced Somali Rice (Bariis Iskukaris)

5. Vegetable Side: Baobab Salad with Tamarind Dressing

A citrusy baobab pulp salad with tamarind glaze, served with cinnamon rice.

🧑‍🍳 Use baobab powder and pair with this cinnamon rice recipe

6. Bread Course: Coconut Flatbread

Soft flatbread infused with coconut milk, perfect for soaking up the grace of the meal.

🧑‍🍳 Adapt from Swahili chapati or use coconut milk in dough. Pair with Swahili coconut rice recipe

7. Tea & Dessert: Rosewater Tea with Hibiscus Syrup

A floral close to the feast—rosewater tea steeped with hibiscus and ginger, served with honey.

🧑‍🍳 Recipe: Rose Tea
🧑‍🍳 Recipe: Hibiscus Tea (Zobo)

OCTOBER 15 Wednesday-Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor

Acts, Chapter 24, Verse 2-3

When he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Since we have attained much PEACE through you, and reforms have been accomplished in this nation through your provident care,we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all gratitude.

The scene in this verse is set with Paul being on trial for sedition with the Roman governor of Palestine Felix. The peace that Tertullus alludes to is worldly peace which is not Christ’s peace; it is the peace that is giving to an enslaved people to be happy with the scraps given them for their meager existence. They have their lives if they follow the rules but little liberty or power to pursue their personal dreams.

Paul on Trial[1]

A. The Accusers (vv. 1-4)

1. Their identification (v. 1)"And after five days Ananias, the high priest, descended with the elders, and with a certain orator, named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul."

a) Ananias--Ananias was a corrupt high priest. He saw Paul as a threat, so he wanted to get rid of him. That's why he was part of the entourage that went to accuse Paul.

b) The elders--They were key leaders out of the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of Israel.

c) Tertullus--Ananias and the elders didn't want to accuse Paul themselves, so they hired a professional case reader by the name of Tertullus. He was probably well versed in the legal procedure of Rome and spoke eloquent Latin. Verse 1 says that he "informed the governor." The high priest and the elders stood silently while Tertullus did the talking.

2. Their flattery (vv. 2-4) It was very common for orators in those days to do what Tertullus did. In verses 2-4 he laid the flattery on thick. The Latin description of what he did is Captatio Benevolentiae. That could freely be translated as a "soft-soap job." Tertullus buttered up Felix with flattery. There wasn't much good that could be said about Felix, so Tertullus spoke in generalities. But that was a common approach to obtain a favorable hearing. Felix knew what Tertullus said wasn't true, but he liked to hear it anyway. That was true of Herod in Acts 12:21-22. As he sat on his throne and gave a speech, the people said that he wasn't a man, but a god. Herod loved receiving such praise even though he had to know it wasn't true. So Tertullus flattered Felix, even though the governor was intelligent enough to know that the Jewish people hated him.

a) The hearing begins (v. 2a) "And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him [Paul]" We can't be sure if the hearing was formal or informal, but there is a clue it was informal because Felix decided to defer the case to a later date according to verse 22. So Felix calls Tertullus, who begins his accusation.

b) The flattery begins (vv. 2b-4) Great peace (v. 2b) "Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness" Tertullus begins by telling Felix that he had brought peace. Yet Felix had made no contribution to Roman peace at all. The only occasion when Felix brought any peace was when he stopped a riot that shouldn't have started in the first place. He did such a bad job of it that he alienated everyone. He hadn't done anything that contributed to peace; Tertullus was just flattering him. Many of the Jewish people didn't see the Pax Romanus as peace at all. Calgacus, a chieftain who fought the Romans, said that where the Romans "make a desolation; they call it `peace'" (Tacitus, Life of Agricola, 29-30). It may have been peace for Rome, but it was oppression for everyone else.

Copilot’s Take

On October 15, the feast of Teresa of Jesus invites us to contemplate the contrast between worldly peace and divine truth. In Acts 24, Paul stands trial before Felix, accused by a coalition of religious leaders who fear his disruptive witness. Tertullus, their hired orator, opens with flattery—praising Felix for bringing “great quietness,” a peace that masks oppression. This rhetorical strategy, known as captatio benevolentiae, seeks favor through praise rather than truth. But Teresa of Ávila, whose reformist spirit we honor today, embodied the opposite: captatio veritatis, a bold capture of truth. Her writings and reforms pierced through illusion, calling both cloister and court to deeper fidelity. While Tertullus spoke of peace that enslaves, Teresa lived a peace that liberates—born not of Roman order but of divine intimacy. Like Paul, she faced trials not for breaking laws but for breaking illusions. Her mystical clarity and Marian courage echo the Magnificat’s reversal: casting down the mighty and lifting the lowly. In this light, Paul’s trial becomes a mirror of Teresa’s mission—a confrontation with false peace, a testimony to truth, and a call to interior freedom.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Teresa, whose name was Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515. In her autobiography she mentions some details of her childhood: she was born into a large family, her “father and mother, who were devout and feared God”. She had three sisters and nine brothers. While she was still a child and not yet nine years old she had the opportunity to read the lives of several Martyrs which inspired in her such a longing for martyrdom that she briefly ran away from home in order to die a Martyr’s death and to go to Heaven (cf. Vida,[Life], 1, 4); “I want to see God”, the little girl told her parents.

A few years later Teresa was to speak of her childhood reading and to state that she had discovered in it the way of truth which she sums up in two fundamental principles.

On the one hand was the fact that (1) “all things of this world will pass away” while on the other God alone is (2) “for ever, ever, ever”, a topic that recurs in her best-known poem: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, All things are passing away: God never changes.

· Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing, God alone suffices”. She was about 12 years old when her mother died, and she implored the Virgin Most Holy to be her mother (cf. Vida, I, 7).

· When she was 20, she entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation, also in Avila. In her religious life she took the name “Teresa of Jesus”. Three years later she fell seriously ill, so ill that she remained in a coma for four days, looking as if she were dead (cf. Vida, 5, 9).

· In the fight against her own illnesses too the Saint saw the combat against weaknesses and the resistance to God’s call: “I wished to live”, she wrote, “but I saw clearly that I was not living, but rather wrestling with the shadow of death; there was no one to give me life, and I was not able to take it. He who could have given it to me had good reasons for not coming to my aid, seeing that he had brought me back to himself so many times, and I as often had left him” (Vida, 7, 8).

· In 1543 she lost the closeness of her relatives; her father died and all her siblings, one after another, emigrated to America. In Lent 1554, when she was 39 years old, Teresa reached the climax of her struggle against her own weaknesses. The fortuitous discovery of the statue of “a Christ most grievously wounded”, left a deep mark on her life (cf. Vida, 9).

· The Saint, who in that period felt deeply in tune with the St Augustine of the Confessions, thus describes the decisive day of her mystical experience: “and... a feeling of the presence of God would come over me unexpectedly, so that I could in no wise doubt either that he was within me, or that I was wholly absorbed in him” (Vida, 10, 1).

Teresa of Jesus had no academic education but always set great store by the teachings of theologians, men of letters and spiritual teachers. As a writer, she always adhered to what she had lived personally through or had seen in the experience of others (cf. Prologue to The Way of Perfection), in other words basing herself on her own first-hand knowledge.

Among her most important works we should mention first of all her autobiography, El libro de la vida (the book of life), which she called Libro de las misericordias del Señor [book of the Lord’s mercies].

Among the most precious passages is her commentary on the Our Father, as a model for prayer. St Teresa’s most famous mystical work is El Castillo interior [The Interior Castle]. She wrote it in 1577 when she was in her prime. It is a reinterpretation of her own spiritual journey and, at the same time, a codification of the possible development of Christian life towards its fullness, holiness, under the action of the Holy Spirit. Teresa refers to the structure of a castle with seven rooms as an image of human interiority. She simultaneously introduces the symbol of the silkworm reborn as a butterfly, in order to express the passage from the natural to the supernatural. The Saint draws inspiration from Sacred Scripture, particularly the Song of Songs, for the final symbol of the “Bride and Bridegroom” which enables her to describe, in the seventh room, the four crowning aspects of Christian life: the Trinitarian, the Christological, the anthropological and the ecclesial.

Prayer is life and develops gradually, in pace with the growth of Christian life: it begins with vocal prayer, passes through interiorization by means of meditation and recollection, until it attains the union of love with Christ and with the Holy Trinity. Obviously, in the development of prayer climbing to the highest steps does not mean abandoning the previous type of prayer. Rather, it is a gradual deepening of the relationship with God that envelops the whole of life.

Another subject dear to the Saint is the centrality of Christ’s humanity. For Teresa, in fact, Christian life is the personal relationship with Jesus that culminates in union with him through grace, love and imitation. Hence the importance she attaches to meditation on the Passion and on the Eucharist as the presence of Christ in the Church for the life of every believer, and as the heart of the Liturgy. St Teresa lives out unconditional love for the Church: she shows a lively “sensus Ecclesiae”, in the face of the episodes of division and conflict in the Church of her time.

A final essential aspect of Teresian doctrine which I would like to emphasize is perfection, as the aspiration of the whole of Christian life and as its ultimate goal. The Saint has a very clear idea of the “fullness” of Christ, relived by the Christian. At the end of the route through The Interior Castle, in the last “room”, Teresa describes this fullness, achieved in the indwelling of the Trinity, in union with Christ through the mystery of his humanity.

Dear brothers and sisters, St Teresa of Jesus is a true teacher of Christian life for the faithful of every time. In our society, which all too often lacks spiritual values, St Teresa teaches us to be unflagging witnesses of God, of his presence and of his action. She teaches us truly to feel this thirst for God that exists in the depths of our hearts, this desire to see God, to seek God, to be in conversation with him and to be his friends. This is the friendship we all need that we must seek anew, day after day. May the example of this Saint, profoundly contemplative and effectively active, spur us too every day to dedicate the right time to prayer, to this openness to God, to this journey, in order to seek God, to see him, to discover his friendship and so to find true life; indeed many of us should truly say: “I am not alive, I am not truly alive because I do not live the essence of my life”. Therefore, time devoted to prayer is not time wasted, it is time in which the path of life unfolds, the path unfolds to learning from God an ardent love for him, for his Church, and practical charity for our brothers and sisters.

Bible in a Year Day 102 Death of Lazarus

Fr. Mike recalls the death of Lazarus, and how Jesus not only allowed himself to be broken by the sorrow that breaks us but also how he took that hopelessness and brought forth life. He also explains how the covenants we've seen in the Old Testament are all leading to the eternal covenant that will be instituted through Christ on the Cross. Today's readings are John 10-12 and Proverbs 6:1-5.

Every Wednesday is Dedicated to St. Joseph

Reflect both Joseph and Jesus camped out at Sukkot

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?

Why is St. Joseph the “Terror of Demons”?[1]

Though we know little about St. Joseph from the Gospels, what we read there demonstrates that his righteous character and behavior served as a defense for his beloved wife and foster Son. The Holy Family was a little city under perpetual siege by the Devil. But Joseph was chosen by God to guard the city walls.

When he first learned that Mary was carrying a Child who was not his own, he naturally concluded that she had committed adultery. But so great was his love for Mary and even for her unborn Child that his primary intention was to protect them. Rather than publicly exposing the situation—which would have led to terrible consequences for both mother and Child—he “resolved to send her away quietly” (see Mt 1:18—19).

When the angel revealed to him the truth of the situation and told him not to fear to take her as his wife, his great faith in God prompted him to do that immediately (Mt 1:20—5). Though he knew that such obedience would come at a great cost, his impulse, again, was to protect Mary and the Babe.

Yet once more, when the angel warned him to take his little Family and flee to Egypt because Herod planned to kill the Child, he obeyed right away, in the middle of the night. With extraordinary courage he left for a foreign land without preparations, without telling their extended family, without a job or home waiting for them, and despite numerous dangers on the highways because of robbers and worse (see Mt 1:13—15). His compelling desire was to defend them, and that desire led him to choose Nazareth as their home when they returned, to avoid the possible wrath of Herod’s son in Judea (Mt 1:19—22).

Our last glimpse of Joseph comes when Jesus was twelve years old, and he and Mary couldn’t find Him in Jerusalem. When they did, after three days of separation, Mary’s words reveal Joseph’s heart as well as her own when she said to the Boy, “Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously” (Lk 2:48).

I think we can conclude that whatever attacks the Devil may have attempted in the “hidden years” of the Holy Family at Nazareth, those attacks were unsuccessful in large part because of Joseph’s protection, who served as their divinely appointed defender.

After Joseph left this world for the next, he went on to take on the mantle of a defender, not just of the Holy Family, but of the extended family of Jesus and Mary—that is, the whole Church. He has in fact been declared “Patron of the Universal Church.” Many titles ascribed to him in the litany that bears his name remind us of this role: Guardian of Virgins, Pillar of Families, Patron of the Dying, Protector of Holy Church. But none among them is more fitting than the title that reveals his might as a spiritual warrior: Terror of Demons.

Joseph may well have been a man of few words; Sacred Scripture has recorded nothing from his lips. But this title suggests that when we call on him for rescue from our diabolical adversaries, he need not even speak to them: His very presence terrifies them and sends them fleeing. (More about Joseph’s role in the apostolic exhortation of Pope St. John Paul II Redemptoris Custos: On the Person and Mission of St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church.

With the war in the Gaza Strip let us ask Joseph who traveled with Mary and Jesus through this land in his flight to Egypt to have all the idols fall down and all be converted to the peace only Christ can give.

[1]https://angelusnews.com/voices/spiritual-warfare-and-the-saints-who-help/

Daily Devotions

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

· Religion in the Home for Preschool: October

· Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Rosary

[1] http://www.gty.org/resources/study-guides/40-5134/paul-on-trial

Weekly Menu Oct 7-14

🍷 A Marian-Inspired 7-Course Supper

Adapted from Bar Juanito’s Menu (Jerez, Spain)
For home preparation, spiritual hospitality, and vineyard rhythm

• Aperitivo – Almendras Fritas
Fried almonds gently toasted in olive oil, finished with sea salt and rosemary. A gesture of welcome—simple, ancient, Eucharistic.
🔗 Spanish Fried Almonds Recipe – The Spruce Eats
🔗 Spanish Style Fried Almonds – Spain on a Fork

• Cold Starter – Salmorejo Cordobés
A chilled purée of ripe tomatoes, stale bread, garlic, and olive oil, garnished with chopped boiled egg and jamón serrano. Bread and body mingled—earth’s offering transformed.
🔗 Authentic Salmorejo Cordobés – The Spanish Chef
🔗 Antonia’s Salmorejo Recipe – Spanish Sabores

• Hot Starter – Croquetas de Puchero
Creamy béchamel folded with shredded stew meat, chilled, breaded, and fried until golden. Hidden abundance—transformation through fire and patience.
🔗 Croquetas de Puchero – Piccantino
🔗 Croquetas de Cocido – Spain in a Pan

• Fish Course – Tacos de Atún Rojo a la Plancha
Red tuna cubes seared briefly with garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. Sea and clarity—pilgrimage across waters.
🔗 Grilled Tuna Tacos – 2 Nerds in a Truck
🔗 Red Tuna Tataki with Avocado – YouTube

• Meat Course – Solomillo Ibérico al Pedro Ximénez
Iberian pork medallions pan-seared and glazed with Pedro Ximénez wine, raisins, and shallots. Vineyard mercy—sweetness pressed from sorrow.
🔗 Solomillo al Pedro Ximénez – Food Drink Destinations
🔗 Iberico Pork Fillet with Pedro Ximenez Sauce – Basco

• Cheese & Salad – Queso Payoyo con Miel y Nueces
Local goat cheese served with honey drizzle and crushed walnuts. A course of mountain clarity and Marian sweetness.
🔗 Honey Glazed Walnuts – Cupcakes & Kale Chips
🔗 Walnuts in Honey – Bee Inspired Goods

• Dessert – Tocino de Cielo
A rich egg yolk flan with caramel, named for its celestial texture. Glory revealed—hidden joy made visible.
🔗 Tocino de Cielo – Vargasavour Recipes
🔗 Egg and Syrup Flan – The Happy Foodie

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Candace’s Corner

· Foodie: Wake up to a day full of tradition and gratitude. Begin with a hearty breakfast to fuel your adventures ahead.

o Indulge your sweet tooth with a homemade dessert or a treat from a local bakery. Savor each bite and let yourself enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

· Spirit Hour:

· Pray Day 8 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops

· How to celebrate Oct 14th

o Take a moment to appreciate the environment by participating in an e-waste recycling drive. Make a difference by responsibly disposing of old electronics.

o Celebrate love and connections by reaching out to loved ones. Send a heartfelt message or plan a surprise visit to show your affection.

o Embrace your unique identity by embracing your natural beauty. Whether you’re bald or not, take pride in your appearance and carry yourself with confidence.

Bucket List: Vineyard World Tour:

o Weeklong Rioja Vineyard Itinerary
Theme: “Go in Peace, Stand in Light”
Dates: October 7–13, 2025
Base: Elciego & Logroño, Spain

o I. Arrival and Orientation (Day 1 – Logroño)
Begin your pilgrimage by arriving in Logroño, the capital of La Rioja. Use regional bus or train services such as Estación de Autobuses de Logroño for affordable transit. Lodging is available at Berceo Rooms – Pensión Moderna for approximately $49 USD per night. In the evening, explore the famed Calle Laurel for a tapas crawl, where small plates range from $2–4 USD, offering a communal and symbolic welcome meal.

o II. Marqués de Riscal and Elciego (Day 2)
Travel by bus to Elciego to visit the iconic Marqués de Riscal winery, where tastings begin at $16 USD. This site blends ancient winemaking with modern architectural beauty. Stay at Casa Rural Rojanda for $88 USD per night, including breakfast. Dine at Taberna Gastronómica 1583, where meals range from $11–21 USD. Let this day symbolize rootedness and renewal.

o III. Vineyard Walks and Local Tastings (Day 3)
Spend the morning walking through Elciego’s vineyards, reflecting on Acts 16 and the peace of Christ. Visit Bodegas Valdelana for a free museum tour and $11 USD tasting. Lunch at La Caprichosa offers regional dishes for $21–32 USD. Close the day with sunset journaling or prayer among the vines.

o IV. Haro and Barrio de la Estación (Day 4)
Take a bus to Haro, home to the historic Barrio de la Estación. Tour CVNE and its symbolic Wine Cemetery for $16 USD. Lodging at Pensión Úbeda – Fuenmayor is available for $61 USD per night. Enjoy dinner at Bar Olano in nearby Cenicero for $11–21 USD. This day invites reflection on legacy and humility.

o V. Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Day 5)

Visit the cathedral and pilgrim museum in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a symbolic stop on the Camino. Pack a picnic from the local market and return to Logroño via regional bus. Stay at ibis budget Logroño Center for $58 USD per night. This day honors pilgrimage and penance.

o VI. Logroño and Spiritual Pause (Day 6)
Spend the day in quiet reflection. Visit the Church of San Bartolomé and walk along the Ebro River. Enjoy a menu del día at a local café for around $13 USD. In the evening, offer a vineyard reflection: “I believe and I adore.” Let this be a Marian pause before departure.

o VII. Departure and Optional Extension (Day 7)
Depart from Logroño via bus or train. If extending your stay, consider Posada Ignatius for a symbolic wine cellar visit at $66 USD per night. This final day marks the transition from vineyard to vocation—carrying peace and truth into the year ahead

Day 14 offers a profound pivot—from compassion to faith, from Kolbe’s sacrificial mercy to the quiet courage of belief in the shadows. The Christian guard at Hỏa Lò Prison (the “Hanoi Hilton”) is a lesser-known witness, but his story—of quiet kindness, whispered prayer, and hidden solidarity—embodies faith as endurance and light in captivity.

🔒 Leafing the World Behind: Day 14

Witness: The Christian Guard at Hỏa Lò Prison
Theme: Faith as Hidden Light
Virtue: Faith
Virtue Connection: Endurance in Darkness
Symbolic Act: Light a candle or lamp in a quiet space. Pray for those imprisoned—physically or spiritually.
Location: A cell, chapel, corner, or threshold—any place where light meets silence

🕊️ Introduction: On Faith

To leave the world behind is not to escape suffering—it is to endure it with light.
Today we do not demand signs—we become them.
Faith, in this rhythm, is not certainty—it is trust.
It is the quiet courage to believe when belief costs everything.

This pilgrimage is not a triumph—it is a testimony.
Each day, we leaf behind fear and despair, so that what remains is endurance: hidden, holy, and whole.

🌺 Witness of the Day: The Christian Guard at Hỏa Lò Prison

In the shadows of captivity, a Vietnamese guard whispered hope.
He was not a priest, not a prophet—just a man with faith.
He smuggled scraps of scripture, offered silent prayers, and treated POWs with dignity.
His kindness was not loud—it was luminous.

To American prisoners, he became a symbol of grace.
His faith did not free them—but it reminded them they were not forgotten.
He risked punishment to offer mercy.
He reminds us:

Faith is not always seen—it is felt.
It is the courage to believe in silence.

🛡️ Virtue Connection: Endurance in Darkness

Faith endures when light is gone.
It does not demand proof—it becomes presence.

The Christian guard’s witness was not public—it was personal.
He did not preach—he practiced.
He did not escape darkness—he lit a candle within it.

Like St. Maximilian Kolbe and Corrie ten Boom, he lived faith as resistance.
He reminds us:

Faith without endurance becomes sentiment.
But faith with endurance becomes sanctuary.

🕯️ Symbolic Act: Light a Candle for the Imprisoned

Find a quiet space.
Light a candle, lamp, or fire.
Pray for those imprisoned—by walls, by fear, by despair.
Let it be a gesture of solidarity, not spectacle.

As you pray, say:

“Lord, let my faith be light.
Let my endurance be mercy.
Let my silence be sanctuary.”

If no candle is nearby, imagine the flame in prayer.
The gesture is the same: light as sacrament.

🔥 Reflection Prompt

Where have you lost faith in the dark?
What hidden act of mercy has sustained you?
Can you name one person whose quiet faith gave you strength?

Write, walk, or pray with these questions.
Let the Christian guard’s witness remind you:

Faith is not noise—it is light.
It is the endurance to believe, the mercy to act, the courage to remain.

OCTOBER 14 Tuesday

Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 36

The jailer reported these words to Paul, “The magistrates have sent orders that you be released. Now, then, come out and go in PEACE.”

Those that are not in Christ when they are in error seek to keep their actions a secret. Whereas a person in Christ knows all have failed and our only salvation is in God. The Philippian officials had beaten Paul, and placed him into prison without a trial, not knowing that he was a Roman and had rights. The officials wanted to keep this “mistake” a secret. They wanted peace. Like all cowards they want peace when it goes against them because no truth is in them. Seek the light of Christ which reveals all truth and you will have no fear and the peace of Christ.

The Spirits of Darkness[1] D

The ethereal we live in is filled with the angels of God but not all of them are seeking our good. There are some spirits that are not filled with the light of God; just as there are some men which are not.

Angels are no more impeccable than men. They are free as men to choose and like men underwent a trial. Every trial must be essentially costly or painful. God submitted to the angels the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God; made man for their adoration. At this revelation Lucifer known as the angel of light from the highest choir of angels a Seraph rebelled,

“I protest is my throne to be lowered?”

At the same instance one of the lesser Archangels, cried out,

“Who is like God?”

Who can refuse to believe and to adore that which He proposes, “I believe and I adore.” Pride brought the fall of the angels. The door of penance, through the merits of the Precious Blood, is open to men during the whole time of their life, while the corrupt angels found themselves immediately after their fall in the state in which sinful men will find themselves immediately after their death, facing the truth of their own trials. This thought should increase our devotion to the Precious Blood which is ever ready to cleanse us from our sins, especially in the Sacrament of Penance, and restore us to the friendship of God which is denied to the angels of darkness.

Therefore, let our personal battle cry be that of St. Michael, the archangel, “I believe and I adore!”

Copilot’s Take

The peace offered by the magistrates in Acts 16 is not the peace of Christ—it is the peace of concealment. Their desire to quietly release Paul after unlawfully beating and imprisoning him without trial reveals a deeper spiritual truth: those outside of Christ often seek silence when exposed, preferring secrecy over repentance. But Paul, rooted in truth, does not accept peace without justice. His response is prophetic, not prideful—a call to accountability that mirrors the light of Christ, which reveals all things and casts out fear. This civic injustice becomes a symbol of spiritual cowardice, reminding us that true peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of truth.

In the ethereal realm, the trial of angels echoes this same dynamic. Lucifer, once a Seraph, rejected the mystery of the Incarnation, refusing to adore the Word made flesh. His cry—“I protest”—was not a question of theology but of pride. In contrast, St. Michael’s humble declaration—“Who is like God?”—became the eternal battle cry of those who choose light over darkness. Angels, like men, are free to choose, but unlike men, they are not granted the mercy of time. Their fall was immediate and irreversible, while ours unfolds across a lifetime, with the door of penance ever open through the Precious Blood of Christ. This mercy, denied to the angels of darkness, is our daily invitation to renewal.

Thus, the reflection on Acts 16 and the rebellion of angels converge in a single truth: peace without truth is cowardice, but truth with mercy is Christ. Every civic failure, every spiritual rebellion, every hidden injustice is an opportunity to stand in the light and cry out with St. Michael, “I believe and I adore.” This cry is not merely doctrinal—it is liturgical, sacramental, and deeply personal. It is the rhythm of a life shaped by humility, repentance, and the ever-flowing mercy of God. Let it echo in our vineyard rituals, our civic suppers, our daily acts of hospitality and renewal. Let it be the breath of our ministry and the heartbeat of our October pilgrimage.

Bible in a Year Day 101 Signs and Wonders

Fr. Mike explains how the signs and wonders Jesus demonstrates in the Gospel point to the truth of his identity. He also touches on Proverbs 5, especially the last verse touching on discipline. Today's readings are John 7-9 and Proverbs 5:15-23.