Posts
Rachel’s Corner
· Joe Biden and Robert F. Kennedy’s Birthday
· How to celebrate Nov 20th
o Moving forward, embrace the spirit of learning and knowledge on GIS Day. Explore online maps, learn about geographic information systems, or even try your hand at creating your own map. Dive into the world of geography and discover new places from the comfort of your own home.
o Next, acknowledge the importance of children on Children’s Day in the UK and World Children’s Day. Spend quality time with the children in your life, engage in fun activities, and create lasting memories together. Show them love, care, and support.
o Transitioning to the future, embrace Future Teachers of America Day. Reflect on the impact teachers have had on your life and consider mentoring or supporting aspiring educators. Share your knowledge and experiences with those who are passionate about teaching.
o Finally, treat yourself to a sweet delight on National Peanut Butter Fudge Day. Whip up a batch of this delicious treat or visit a local bakery to enjoy some fudgy goodness. Indulge in the creamy, nutty flavors and savor each bite.
Best Place to visit in November:
Havasupai Falls is sure to take your breath away as soon as you set your eyes on the bright blue water. Although it’s about a 10-mile hike to get to the falls, the trip is totally worth it. While temperatures might be too cold to enjoy swimming in the water in November, you might still be able to take a dip if you’re feeling brave.
The main reason why November is ideal for seeing Havasupai Falls is that the usual Arizona heat is much milder. Considering the length of the hike, you’ll be glad to enjoy those cooler temps.
The area is closed during the winter, starting in December, and both October and November see fewer visitors. This means more opportunities for moments of solitude like the one in the photo!
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
Dinner Menu
- Drink: Beaujolais Nouveau
- hors d'oeuvre Bacon-wrapped Scallops
- appetizer Beaujolais goes great with French charcuterie like patés, terrines, rillettes, and saucisson sec. You can also serve it with cornichons, fresh radishes, and a crusty baguette
- main course Poached salmon or seared tuna and salmon
- Dessert: Cheesecake with Red Fruit
🇬🇷 Souda Bay, Crete – Olive Mercy and Mountain Fire
A week of monastic clarity, coastal resilience, and Cretan hospitality
1. Lodging with Legacy
Stay where olive groves meet naval rhythm
· NSA Souda Bay Passenger Terminal Info
· Souda Bay Space-A Travel Tips – Poppin’ Smoke
· Sissy Village Hotel – walkable from base
· Royal Sun Hotel – Chania – panoramic views and shuttle service
2. Olive Mercy – Seven-Course Ritual Meal
A symbolic Cretan supper rooted in oil, exile, and resurrection
1. Dakos salad – broken bread and living water
2. Dolmades with avgolemono – hidden strength and lemon clarity
3. Grilled halloumi with thyme honey – sweet fire and monastic joy
4. Lamb with stamnagathi greens – wild mercy and rooted strength
5. Fried snails with rosemary – pilgrim’s patience and spiral return
6. Graviera cheese with fig jam – aged wisdom and sweetness preserved
7. Loukoumades with cinnamon and raki – golden joy and firelight finale
3. Symbolic Adventures
1. Kayak the Akrotiri Peninsula – mercy on the Aegean
2. Hike the Samaria Gorge – descent and ascent through mercy
3. Visit Arkadi Monastery – resistance, refuge, and Eucharistic fire
4. Explore Ancient Aptera – civic ruins and layered witness
4. Cultural Pilgrimage
· Old Venetian Harbor – Chania – light, exile, and return
· Maritime Museum of Crete – naval memory and island resilience
· Folklore Museum of Chania – woven witness and domestic mercy
5. Nature & Reflection
· Botanical Park & Gardens of Crete – healing through fire and regrowth
· Seitan Limania Beach – hidden mercy and baptismal cliffs
· Olive Tree of Vouves – oldest olive tree in the world
6. Sacred Anchors
· Agia Triada Monastery – Trinitarian hospitality and vine-clad mercy
· Gouverneto Monastery & Bear Cave – desert silence and Marian strength
· Church of St. Nicholas – Chania – Orthodox-Catholic witness and civic unity
7. Firelight Finale
· Bonfires not permitted, but rooftop candles or olive oil lamps are welcome
· Ritual Act: Pour olive oil into a small bowl, light a floating wick, and name one mercy you carry forward
· Film Pairing: Zorba the Greek
– joy, grief, and the dance of resilience
NOVEMBER
20 Thursday
Universal Children’s Day-Joe Biden Birthday
John, Chapter 19, Verse 26
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
there whom he LOVED, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
It was Christ’s
desire that we should all be a family—a family united in love. This is why our
Lord submitted to His mother, showing that now she was the mother and Mediatrix
of all mankind.
Focus today on the
word desire. Hiking and praying often go hand in hand. One day while
hiking in the Fay Canyon area of Sedona, Arizona, the reflection turned toward
the seven deadly sins and the opposing virtues from the Sermon on the Mount. As
the trail unfolded, so did the meditation—especially on the deadly sin of lust
and its associated words: long for, hanker for, hunger for, yearn, crave, and
desire.
The word desire
repeated in the heart: Desire, desire, desire. A question rose to
heaven: Lord, what do you want me to desire?
At that moment, the
canyon revealed a rock formation in the shape of a chalice. “Yes, Lord,” came
the response. “I shall desire to receive You in the Holy Mass.”
Lust is a corrupted
form of love that takes. Holy desire gives and receives with a grateful heart.
Today is a good day
to rest in the Lord. Go to Mass. Receive His Body and Blood. Know that He has
heard our cries and has saved us. Such is the love of our God.
🕊️ Copilot’s Take: Desire the Chalice
At the foot of the
Cross, Jesus speaks: “Woman, behold your son.” In that moment, Mary is
entrusted not only to John, but to all who follow Christ. This is not a
sentimental gesture—it is a spiritual commissioning. While the Church has
refrained from formally defining Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces, her
maternal role remains: she intercedes, she accompanies, she receives—not as a
rival to Christ, but as a vessel of love pointing always to Him.
The hike through Fay
Canyon becomes a living parable. As the word desire echoes through the
canyon, a chalice-shaped rock appears—a visual homily.
Lust is a corrupted
desire that takes; holy desire receives and gives.
The chalice is not
merely a symbol of the Eucharist—it is the shape of longing rightly ordered.
Lust seeks power or sedation. The Chalice is the power.
Public Catholics
like Joe Biden, Joseph Kennedy Sr., and Nancy Pelosi reflect this tension.
Their lives show sincere devotion, but also contradictions—between personal
prayer and public policy, between sacramental longing and moral clarity. Faith
is not a shield for misalignment. It is a summons to truth. To receive Christ
rightly is not merely to feel devotion, but to live in truth. That means
admitting error, correcting course, and refusing to receive the Eucharist in a
state of contradiction.
One takeaway: Seek Him. The true power is the Chalice offered by
Christ through His Church found through Confession and Eucharist.
Bible in a Year Day 140 David's Prayer of Thanksgiving
Fr. Mike reflects on the significance behind David's prayer of
thanksgiving at the end of his life. There's something so moving about David's
gratitude with God as he acknowledges his brokenness and victories throughout
his life. Today's readings are 2 Samuel 23, 1 Chronicles 28, and Psalm 42.
Universal Children's Day[1]
Universal
Children's Day aims to create a day of international fraternity and
understanding between children all over the globe. The holiday's secondary
purpose is to promote the objectives and ideals of the Declaration of the
Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child through
activities and awareness. Children are the future of the planet, but they are a
vulnerable group exposed to abuse and exploitation on a daily basis. As young
dependents, children rely on adults for everything from food to shelter to
education and it is imperative that their rights be heard if they are to
survive and develop into the next generation of world citizens. Universal
Children's Day was declared on in 1954 by the United Nations General
Assembly as a day to be celebrated on November 20, the anniversaries of the
Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, both of which protect the human rights of children.
Universal
Children's Day Facts & Quotes
·
The
UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child in November 1989. The United States drafted and signed the treaty;
however, it is currently the only member county that has not ratified it,
meaning that the US is not legally bound by the Convention. Ratifying the
treaty would go against certain laws currently in place in the US, most
notably, the treaty forbids life imprisonment without parole for children under
18.
·
According
to UNICEF, 22,000 children die every day as a result of poverty, often due to
preventable diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia.
·
As
of 2013, 21.8 million children worldwide in their first year of life had not
received adequate vaccine doses against diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria
and pertussis.
·
The
poor are hungry and their hunger traps them in poverty. - The World Food Program
·
What
is at stake is nothing less than the survival and well-being of a generation of
innocents. - Antonia Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Universal
Children's Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Read
the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of
the Child to learn more about how these treaties can impact your community.
·
Spend
the day playing with your children, your nieces and nephews, your grandchildren
or other children that you know. Take them to the beach, a playground, a movie,
or any other outing of their choosing.
·
Donate
your time to American organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
or UNICEF that constantly need volunteers to organize and execute activities
for children in needy communities.
· Watch a movie that touches on children's rights. Our picks are In This World (2012), Arna's Children (2002) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Daily
Devotions/Practice
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Reparations
for offenses and blasphemies against God and the Blessed Virgin Mary
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Rosary.
Public Catholic figures like Joe Kennedy, Joe Biden, and Nancy Pelosi offer cautionary lessons about the tension between personal faith and public policy—especially when Church teachings are selectively embraced or publicly contradicted.
Here are some key lessons drawn from their public lives and controversies:
🕊️ 1. Faith as Identity vs. Faith as Witness
- Lesson: Catholicism is not just cultural—it demands moral coherence.
- Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi often affirm their Catholic identity while supporting policies that contradict Church teachings on abortion, marriage, and religious liberty.
- This creates confusion for the public and scandal for the faithful, especially when such figures are described as “devout” while opposing core moral doctrines.
🧭 2. The Danger of Compartmentalization
- Lesson: Separating personal belief from public duty can erode integrity.
- JFK famously pledged to resign if his presidential duties ever conflicted with his religious obligations. While this reassured Protestant voters in 1960, it also modeled a form of compartmentalization that many Catholic leaders have since emulated.
- Biden and Pelosi have similarly argued that their political responsibilities require them to set aside Church teachings, especially on life and sexuality.
🛡️ 3. Selective Moral Advocacy
- Lesson: Cherry-picking Catholic social teaching weakens its prophetic power.
- These figures often invoke Catholic values like care for the poor, immigration, and healthcare—but ignore or oppose teachings on abortion, euthanasia, and marriage.
- Pelosi defended the Affordable Care Act as consistent with Catholic values, despite the bishops’ unified opposition due to abortion concerns.
🔍 4. Public Scandal and Ecclesial Response
- Lesson: Public dissent from Church teaching invites pastoral correction—not silence.
- The U.S. bishops have struggled to respond consistently to high-profile Catholics who publicly contradict Church teaching. This ambiguity can lead to scandal, confusion, and division within the Church.
🕯️ 5. The Need for Integrated Witness
- Lesson: Authentic Catholic leadership requires unity of life, faith, and public service.
- The Church calls all Catholics—especially public ones—to be witnesses of truth, not just symbols of cultural heritage. When faith is reduced to sentiment or identity, its transformative power is lost.
