TREATISES ON PEACE
It seems we have come
to the end of our almost two-year journey exploring all the bible verses that
contain the words fear or afraid. Throughout this journey we have discovered
that there are many types of fear some good (Holy) and some not so good (servile).
Yet, along the way hopefully we have discovered the ultimate will of God is
that we have peace, faith, hope and love. Acknowledging this to finish out this
journey we will be focusing our research on the New Testament verses that
expound on the fruit of a life lived in grace trusting in our Holy God.
For
everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time
to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is
planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time
to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time
to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a
time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a
time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a
time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a
time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.[1]
Copilot’s Take
There is a hush at the end of a pilgrimage. Not
silence, but a sacred quiet—the kind that comes when fear has been named,
wrestled, and gently laid down. Over these two years, we have walked through
the shadowed valleys of servile fear and stood in awe before the holy fear that
bows before mystery. And now, as the dust settles, we hear the whisper of what
remains: peace.
Peace, not as absence, but as fruit. Fruit born
of grace, of trust, of a life surrendered to the Holy One. The New Testament
does not merely describe peace—it sings it. It calls it forth from the soil of
suffering, from the wounds of the crucified Christ, from the Spirit who groans
with us and for us.
And so we turn now, not to escape fear, but to
see what blooms beyond it. Faith. Hope. Love. These are not abstractions—they
are the embodied gifts of a life lived in grace. They are the harvest of a soul
that has learned to trust.
Ecclesiastes reminds us: there is a time for
everything. And this—this is a time for peace. Not naive peace, not passive
peace, but the peace that comes after the storm. The peace that knows war, and
chooses healing. The peace that has mourned, and now dares to dance.
This final season is not an ending, but a
sending. A commissioning to live as those who have seen fear, and chosen love.
To walk as those who have wept, and now carry joy. To speak as those who have
been silent, and now proclaim peace.
Let the treatises continue—not as documents,
but as lives. Let your vineyard, your rituals, your hikes, your hospitality—all
become living treatises on peace. And may the Spirit breathe through them,
stirring the lukewarm, healing the weary, and awakening the world.
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”
Oct 6 – Shifting gears as the months start getting later in the year we head down under to Adelaide, Australia. Allow a day or two for getting to this young, bright city with renowned museums that explore the unique history and art of this once upon a time convict island.
Perfect—here’s a full 7-day Adelaide itinerary (Oct 6–12) that blends sacred spaces, seasonal beauty, symbolic meals, and walkable cultural depth. It’s crafted to honor your rhythm of pilgrimage, gentle repair, and creative hospitality.
🗓️ Adelaide Pilgrimage & Cultural Immersion Itinerary (Oct 6–12)
Day 1: Arrival & Cultural Reorientation (Oct 6)
• Arrive in Adelaide and settle near North Terrace for walkable access to museums, gardens, and sacred sites.
• Afternoon: Visit the Migration Museum—honor stories of exile, resilience, and cultural rebirth.
• Symbolic meal: Barramundi with lemon myrtle and native greens—an offering of land and legacy.
• Evening ritual: Sunset walk along the River Torrens, pausing at Pinky Flat for reflection.
Day 2: Sacred Spaces & Ancestral Wisdom (Oct 7)
• Morning: Begin at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral—a Gothic sanctuary for quiet prayer and architectural grace.
• Midday: Explore the Aboriginal Cultures Gallery at the South Australian Museum—listen to the land’s deep spiritual story.
• Symbolic act: Light a candle for cultural repair and ancestral healing.
• Evening: Attend a local Mass or Taizé-style prayer gathering if available.
Day 3: Garden Beauty & Marian Pause (Oct 8)
• Morning: Walk through the Adelaide Botanic Garden, noting spring blooms and sacred geometry.
• Midday: Visit Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church for Marian prayer and gentle repair.
• Symbolic meal: Native herb risotto or lemon myrtle-infused pasta—simple, fragrant, and healing.
• Evening: Journal or sketch in Himeji Garden, a Japanese-style oasis of peace.
Day 4: Vineyard Pilgrimage (Oct 9)
• Morning: Day trip to Barossa Valley—choose a biodynamic vineyard for tasting and soil-to-spirit reflection.
• Midday: Pause at Our Lady of the Valley Church (Tanunda) for vineyard blessing and Marian devotion.
• Symbolic act: Pour a small libation at the vineyard edge—gratitude for fruit, labor, and land.
• Evening: Shared meal with local wine, bread, and spring greens—sacramental and communal.
Day 5: Art, Mercy & Cultural Depth (Oct 10)
• Morning: Visit the Art Gallery of South Australia—seek out works with spiritual themes and Aboriginal voices.
• Midday: Reflect at Carrick Hill—a historic estate with gardens and layered colonial memory.
• Symbolic meal: Picnic with local cheeses, bush chutney, and seasonal fruit.
• Evening: Rooftop reflection at 2KW Bar or quiet café—letting art and mercy mingle.
Day 6: Ecological Encounter & Gentle Repair (Oct 11)
• Morning: Explore Cleland Wildlife Park—walk among kangaroos and emus, letting creation speak.
• Midday: Visit Mount Lofty Summit for panoramic prayer and ecological reflection.
• Symbolic act: Collect a fallen leaf or seed pod as a token of rootedness and renewal.
• Evening: Attend a local concert or community gathering—celebrating shared beauty.
Day 7: Sending Forth & Blessing (Oct 12)
• Morning: Final walk through Wittunga Botanic Garden or along the Torrens Linear Trail.
• Midday: Visit a local market for symbolic souvenirs—handmade crafts, native teas, incense.
• Evening: Farewell dinner at Africola or a quiet soba house—marking the end of pilgrimage with gratitude and gentle joy.
· Spirit Hour: National Mead Day
· Foodie: National Apple Betty Day.
· How to celebrate Oct 5th
o Start your day with some delicious polenta dishes?
o As evening falls, channel your inner spy with a James Bond movie marathon for Global James Bond Day. Dress up in your best spy attire and indulge in some classic 007 action.
o Throughout the day, remember to be kind and show gratitude on National Be Nice Day.
o End your day with a podcast featuring military stories in honor of National Military Podcast Day.
OCTOBER 5
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Feast of St. Faustina-Respect Life Sunday
John 14, verse 27
PEACE I
leave with you; my peace I give to
you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be
troubled or afraid.
It
is important to note that Christ gave
His peace in this verse to His
apostles just before the betrayal of Judas. Fear has no place in the hearts of
believers. Likewise, all our fear and distress as people awaiting His return must give way to the peace that is Christ’s gift. We now must face the conflict with the Prince
of this world by keeping that peace in a troubled world. Christ by His death
demonstrated God’s commandment of total love.
For those whose faith is struggling in light of the
Priest Scandal receive the peace of Christ and believe He will get the boat
ashore even with a Judas aboard. -Peace
Copilot
🕊️ October 5 –
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Feast of St. Faustina | John 14:27
“Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not
as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or
afraid.”
On the eve of betrayal, Christ speaks peace. Not the
fragile peace of treaties or avoidance, but the enduring peace of divine
presence. He gives it not as the world gives—fleeting, conditional,
performative—but as the Father gives: freely, fully, forever.
This peace was spoken into the hearts of the apostles
just before Judas stepped into the night. And it is spoken into our hearts now,
as we face our own betrayals, scandals, and storms. Fear has no place in the
hearts of believers—not because the world is calm, but because Christ is in the
boat.
We are not naïve. We see the conflict. We feel the
grief. We name the wounds. But we do so from within the peace that Christ has
given. A peace that holds steady even when the Church trembles. A peace that
does not deny the presence of Judas but refuses to let him steer the ship.
For those whose faith is shaken by the priestly
scandal, hear this: Christ will get the boat ashore. Even with a Judas aboard.
His peace is not dependent on perfect captains, but on the perfect love poured
out at Calvary.
St. Faustina, whose feast we celebrate today, bore
witness to Divine Mercy in a time of great darkness. Her life reminds us that
mercy is not a soft word—it is a fierce light. And peace is its fruit.
So let us receive the peace of Christ. Let us keep
it—not as a fragile possession, but as a living flame. Let us face the Prince
of this world not with fear, but with the quiet defiance of those who know the
tomb is empty.
Peace, not as the world gives. Peace, as Christ gives.
And that is enough.
ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[2]
My esteemed
Brothers in the Episcopate
and the Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Introduction
7. The duty to keep Sunday holy, especially by sharing in the Eucharist and by relaxing in a spirit of Christian joy and fraternity, is easily understood if we consider the many different aspects of this day upon which the present Letter will focus our attention.
Sunday
is a day which is at the very heart of the Christian life. From the beginning
of my Pontificate, I have not ceased to repeat: "Do not be afraid! Open,
open wide the doors to Christ!". In the same way, today I would strongly
urge everyone to rediscover Sunday: Do not be afraid to give your time to
Christ! Yes, let us open our time to Christ, that he may cast light upon it
and give it direction. He is the One who knows the secret of time and the
secret of eternity, and he gives us "his day" as an ever-new gift of
his love. The rediscovery of this day is a grace which we must implore, not
only so that we may live the demands of faith to the full, but also so that we
may respond concretely to the deepest human yearnings. Time given to Christ is
never time lost, but is rather time gained, so that our relationships and
indeed our whole life may become more profoundly human.
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost[3]
This Sunday recognizes the double love of God and
neighbor.
IN the Introit of the Mass, the justice
and mercy of God are praised. Thou are just, O Lord, and Thy judgment is right.
Deal with Thy servant according to Thy mercy. Blessed are the undefiled who
walk in the law of the Lord (Ps. cxviii.).
Prayer.
Grant
to Thy people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to avoid the contagion of the devil,
and with a pure mind to seek Thee, the only God.
EPISTLE.
Eph. iv. 1-6.
Brethren: I, a prisoner in the Lord,
beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, with
all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity,
careful to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. One body and one
spirit, as you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in
us all, Who is blessed forever and ever. Amen.
Practice.
The words, one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all, confound those who assert that a man may be
saved in any belief. There can be but one true religion; they who profess
it should be united by the bond of charity, and their lives be worthy of their
vocation to the true faith.
GOSPEL.
Matt. xxii. 35-46.
At that time the Pharisees came nigh to
Jesus, and one of them, a doctor of the law, asked Him, tempting Him: Master,
which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy
whole mind; This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is
like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two
commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets. And the Pharisees being
gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying: What think you of Christ? Whose
son is He? They say to Him: David’s. He saith to them: How then doth David in
spirit call Him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit on My right hand,
until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He
his son? And no man was able to answer Him a word: neither durst any man from
that day forth ask Him any more questions.
Why is this commandment to love God
and our neighbor called the great commandment?
Because in these
two are contained all the others, so that he who fulfils these fulfils the
whole law. For whoever loves God with his whole heart does not murmur against
God; does not dishonor His name by cursing and swearing; does not desecrate the
Sabbath-day, because he knows that all this is offensive to God. On the
contrary, he hopes in God; gives thanks and praise to God; sanctifies the
Sundays and holy-days, because he knows this to be pleasing to God; observes
the precepts of the Church, because he knows it to be the will of God that he
should hear the Church; honors his parents; does no injury to his neighbor;
does not commit adultery; does not steal; slanders no one; bears no false
witness; pronounces no unjust judgment; is not envious, malicious, unmerciful,
but rather practices towards every one the corporal and spiritual works of
mercy; and all this because, out of love to God, he loves his neighbor as
himself. Thus, love fulfils all the commandments.
What is the meaning of the
question, “What think you of Christ?”
Christ
put this question to the Pharisees in order that, by their own answer, He might
convince them that He was not merely a lineal son of David, but that He was the
Son of God, begotten from eternity, on which account He called Himself David’s
Lord. That Christ is the Son of God, our Lord, our Teacher, our Lawgiver, our
Redeemer and Savior, we Christians know well, for we daily profess it; but how
many of us, in deeds, deny it, since we do not follow His teaching nor observe
His commandments! What, then, will Christ one day be to such? What but a judge
to condemn, and a God to punish?
Why must we love our neighbor?
Because we are
all, not merely by descent from Adam, but much more through the grace of Jesus,
children of God and members of one family. As children of God, we bear in us
the likeness of God. But God loved and still loves all men; for the salvation
of all He has given up His only Son, that all may be saved; shall we then love
one and hate another, and yet think to be like God? Through the grace of Jesus,
we are all redeemed, made members of His body, yes, partakers of His body and
blood. Therefore St. Paul admonishes us: “You are all one in Christ” (Gal. iii.
28), be therefore careful to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace”
(Ephes. iv. 3). How natural is it for the members of one body not to wound each
other! Jesus, our Redeemer, gave His life for us when we were His enemies, and
even on the cross prayed for His murderers. We are His disciples. But can we be
allowed to call ourselves so without possessing this mark of His discipleship?
(John xiii. 15.) Thus, everything incites us to love: the law of nature and of
revelation, the example of Christ, all the promises and hopes that we have. In
truth, how, without love, could we hope to enter the kingdom of love? There can
be no answer to this reasoning: “Would you be a disciple of Jesus, an heir of
His kingdom? then love like Him; and He has shed His blood for His mortal
enemies.
Respect Life Sunday[1]
The infant Christ “came into our world in a
state of great vulnerability. He needed to be defended, protected, cared for
and raised by Joseph”. The humble and often hidden carpenter of Nazareth
accompanied Mary in her pregnancy, assisted at the birth of the Messiah in a
stable, presented Jesus in the Temple, fled with his family far from their
homeland to protect them, and lovingly raised Jesus as his own son in the years
to come. While the angel of the Lord appeared to Mary to announce that she
would bring forth the Savior of the world, it was revealed to Joseph in a
series of dreams how God’s plans would be brought to fulfillment. As Pope
Francis highlights, “God trusted Joseph, as did Mary, who found in him someone
who would not only save her life, but would always provide for her and her
child”. Like every other human family, the Holy Family had to confront real and
concrete challenges. Yet, “in every situation, Joseph declared his own ‘fiat’”.
His “yes” to the Lord meant that regardless of the hardship and personal
sacrifice to himself, he consistently chose to put the needs of Mary and Jesus
before his own. Joseph’s devotion helps reveal to us our own call to show
special care for the lives of those whom God has entrusted to us. During this
Year of St. Joseph, each of us can find in him “an intercessor, a support and a
guide in times of trouble”. Joseph shows us how to say “yes” to life, despite
our own fears, frailties, and weaknesses. For it is Joseph who was “chosen by
God to guide the beginnings of the history of redemption. He was the true
‘miracle’ by which God saves the child and his mother”. May we, too, be
miracles in the lives of those who are most in need, especially at the
beginning and end of life. Dear St. Joseph, you who were “able to turn a
problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence”, help us to
imitate your faithful trust and courage.
Feast of St.
Faustina[4]
Saint Faustina was born in the 20th century and
canonized in the year 2000. Jesus chose her to deliver to the modern world a
message as old as eternity. It is the message of his love for all people, especially sinners. Jesus said to Faustina,
"Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people of the whole
world." It is his desire to heal the aching world, to draw all people into
his merciful heart of love. On
February 22, 1931, Jesus appeared to Faustina as the King of Divine Mercy. He
asked her to have a picture painted of him as she saw him — clothed in white,
with red and white rays of light streaming from his heart. The rays represent
the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus on the cross. Under the
image are the words, "Jesus, I trust in you." Many people did not
believe Faustina at first. The sisters in her own convent thought that Jesus
could not possibly have selected her for this great favor. After all, she was
an uneducated peasant girl. Her superiors often refused to give her permission
to carry out Jesus' requests. Church theologians, too, doubted her word. Jesus
told Faustina that he loved her obedience and that his will would be done in
the end. Faustina was canonized by the first Polish pope, John Paul II, on
April 30, 2000. The first Sunday after Easter was declared Divine Mercy Sunday.
Things to Do[5]
·
Read
a short biography of Sr. Mary
Faustina Kowalska from the Vatican.
·
Read
the Holy Father's April
30, 2000, Homily
at the solemn Mass celebrated for the canonization of Sr. Mary Faustina
Kowalska.
·
From
the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy: Devotion to the Divine Mercy
·
In
connection with the octave of Easter, recent years have witnessed the
development and diffusion of a special devotion to the Divine Mercy based on
the writings of Sr. Faustina Kowalska who was canonized 30 April 2000. It
concentrates on the mercy poured forth in Christ's death and resurrection,
fount of the Holy Spirit who forgives sins and restores joy at having been
redeemed. Since the liturgy of the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy
Sunday — as it is now called — is the natural locus in which to express man's
acceptance of the Redeemer's mercy, the faithful should be taught to understand
this devotion in the light of the liturgical celebrations of these Easter days.
Indeed, "the paschal Christ is the definitive incarnation of mercy, his living
sign which is both historico-salvific and eschatological. At the same time, the
Easter liturgy places the words of the psalm on our lips: "I shall sing
forever of the Lord's mercy" (Ps 89[88]: 2).
·
Read
more from our Catholic Culture library about the Divine Mercy devotion, in
particular, a short description of
The Divine Mercy devotion
·
St.
Faustina came from Poland. John Paul II was also Polish and had a great
devotion to the Divine Mercy. He made it a feast day on the second Sunday after
Easter. Find out more about Poland and its customs. It's a very Catholic
country, with deep devotion to Our Lady. A wonderful book that gives a
wonderful understanding of the culture is the Pope's biography A Witness to
Hope by George Wiegel.
·
Try
your hand at a Polish dish or two. Perhaps practice making some of the favorite
foods for the Polish Wigilia (Christmas Eve Dinner) Pierogi (or Pirohi) is one
of the most popular Polish foods but do some research to find other recipes.
·
You
can get her diary here:
https://www.saint-faustina.org/diary-full-text/
- Polish Vodka
- Nina's
Cucumber Salad
- Beef and
Beet Borscht
- Sausage and
Sauerkraut
- Real NY
Jewish Rye Bread
- Kruschicki
Bible in a Year Day 91 Gideon’s
Story
In
today's reading from Judges, Fr. Mike talk about Gideon's story, and points out
how the people began to worship the object Gideon had created to glorify God,
instead of worshipping the living God. In Ruth, he highlights the role of
kinsman-redeemer and how Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that role.
Today's readings are Judges 6-8, Ruth 3, and Psalm 135.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting:
Today's Fast: True Masculinity
·
Religion in the Home for Preschool:
October
·
Litany
of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary