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NIC’s Corner
Return, my soul, to your rest; the LORD has been very good to you. (Psalm 116:7)
o Friday Fish: Halibut
· Spirit Hour: Breakfast of champions
o Today is a day brimming with possibilities. Start by grabbing a hearty stout and settling in to watch some thought-provoking international films.
o As the credits roll, let your creative juices flow and tackle a project with newfound enthusiasm. Remember, even the most mundane tasks can be jazzed up by greeting your furry friend with a big bear hug. Don’t forget about self-care; indulge in some bittersweet chocolate with almonds to lift your spirits.
· Get an indulgence
🇫🇴 Faroe Islands and 🇭🇹 Haiti—Two More Stops on the Rich vs Poor Tour, Each Offering Distinct Catholic Landscapes
Here’s the next pilgrim pairing: Faroe Islands, a remote and affluent archipelago with a tiny but resilient Catholic presence, and Haiti, a nation of deep poverty and profound spiritual endurance. Together, they extend NIC’s Corner’s contemplative journey into the spiritual contrasts of wealth and adversity.
🇫🇴 Faroe Islands — Wealthy, Isolated, and Quietly Catholic
GDP per capita: ~$71,718 USD (2023)
🧮 Why the Faroe Islands Rank High in Per Capita Income
· Fishing Economy: Exports of salmon and cod dominate GDP.
· Small Population: With ~55,000 residents, wealth is concentrated.
· Autonomous Governance: Though part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroes manage their own economic affairs.
· Low Unemployment: Strong labor participation and public services.
· Renewable Energy: Over 40% of electricity comes from renewables.
✝️ Quality of Life for Catholics
· Tiny Community: ~300 Catholics from over 23 nations.
· Single Parish: Mariukirkjan (St. Mary’s Church) in Tórshavn is the only Catholic church.
· Franciscan Legacy: Sisters established a school, crèche, and nursery in 1933.
· Ecumenical Respect: Despite being a Protestant-majority nation, Catholics are welcomed.
⚠️ Challenges
· Clergy Scarcity: Often served by visiting priests from Copenhagen.
· Cultural Distance: Catholicism is unfamiliar to most locals.
· Geographic Isolation: Harsh terrain and weather limit outreach.
🌿 For a Catholic
The Faroes offer a pilgrimage of silence and resilience—where the Eucharist meets wind and sea, and the Gospel whispers through basalt cliffs and Nordic mist. It’s a place for intentional faith and quiet reverence.
🇭🇹 Haiti — Economically Strained, Spiritually Enduring
GDP per capita: ~$1,155 USD (2024)
🧮 Why Haiti Ranks Low in Per Capita Income
· Political Instability: Coups, assassinations, and weak institutions.
· Gang Violence: Over 360,000 displaced due to escalating unrest.
· Infrastructure Collapse: Schools, hospitals, and roads are failing.
· Natural Disasters: Earthquakes and hurricanes compound poverty.
· Limited Investment: Foreign aid is critical, but inconsistent.
✝️ Quality of Life for Catholics
· Majority Faith: ~55% of Haitians are Catholic.
· Ten Dioceses: Including Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien.
· Missionary Legacy: Education, healthcare, and peacebuilding remain central.
· Spiritual Resilience: Churches remain open amid chaos, offering hope and refuge.
· Local Saints: Mother Mary Lange, born in Haiti, founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence in the U.S.
⚠️ Challenges
· Security Risks: Bishops and sisters have been attacked or kidnapped.
· Resource Scarcity: Many parishes lack electricity, books, and basic supplies.
· Clergy Shortage: Bishops meet via Zoom due to safety concerns.
· Economic Hardship: Poverty affects catechesis and sacramental preparation.
🌿 For a Catholic
Haiti is a pilgrimage of courage and communion—where the Eucharist is celebrated in dust and defiance, and the Gospel is lived in song, struggle, and solidarity. The Church here is not just a building—it’s a lifeline.
NOVEMBER
7 First Friday
Bitter Chocolate with
Almonds Day
John, Chapter 11, Verse 3-5
So, the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you LOVE is ill.” When
Jesus heard this, he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for
the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Martha, Mary and
Lazarus were three home runs of Christ. They were loved by Christ not because
of their wealth but by the fact they knew that all wealth is really just on
loan from the Father and that we are to use our wealth to build the kingdom.
You cannot love God and money. When our Lord was raised up on the cross, we see
that our true wealth is in him and until we come to our own natural end, we
should use our wealth to bring truth, beauty, and love to our communities and
families.
The Mass is a
reenactment of the death of our Lord. It is thought-provoking to contemplate
that Pilates notice above Christ’s head, was printed in three languages Hebrew,
Latin and Greek. These three cultures in a sense represented the
characteristics of God. The Hebrew’s were Gods people and represented the good
of man and brought the idea that the person was created by God and is more
valuable than the universe. Latin the language of the Romans brought the idea
that truth is the highest value, and the Greek culture brought the idea of beauty
being the greatest value. In Christ’s death is represented all three values.
That a good God died for man; true to the end; and His shame was turned by love
to beauty. We must put our “Trust” in
Him for He is the “Resurrection and the Life.”
Copilot’s Take
🍫 November 7 – First Friday
Bitter
Chocolate with Almonds Day
A Day of layered sweetness and strength.
📖 John 11:3–5
“Master,
the one you love is ill.”
… “This illness is not to end in death but is for the glory of God…”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
🏠 Three Home Runs of Christ
Martha,
Mary, and Lazarus weren’t just beloved—they were trusted. Their home was a
sanctuary of friendship, truth, and resurrection. Christ’s love for them wasn’t
transactional; it was covenantal. They understood that wealth is not possession
but provision—on loan from the Father, meant to be spent on love.
To
love God is to release our grip on money and instead invest in the eternal:
·
Truth
in our speech
·
Beauty
in our rituals
·
Goodness
in our hospitality
✝️ The Trilingual Cross
Above
Christ’s crucified body, Pilate’s inscription bore three languages:
·
Hebrew
– the dignity of the person, created by God
·
Latin
– the supremacy of truth, even unto death
·
Greek
– the triumph of beauty, even in shame
In
this trifold witness, we see the full character of God:
·
A
good God who dies for man
·
A
true God who fulfills the promise
·
A
beautiful God who transforms suffering into glory
🍫 Symbolic Pairing: Bitter Chocolate
with Almonds
Let
today’s flavor be a ritual:
·
Bitterness
for the illness we carry
·
Almonds
for the resurrection we await
·
Chocolate
for the sweetness of being loved by Christ
🙏 Liturgical Cue
At
Mass, we reenact the death of our Lord not as a tragedy, but as a triumph. Let
us place our trust in Him, the Resurrection and the Life, and use our
wealth—material, emotional, spiritual—to build altars of truth, beauty, and
love in our homes and communities.
First Friday[1]
Prayer Video - First Friday Devotion
Jesus
made the following 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary in favor of those who
consecrate to the Sacred Heart, in a spirit of reparation, the First Friday of
each month.
1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of
life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place in which an image of My Heart is exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love
will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine
consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My
disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be
their safe refuge in this last moment.
The Church grants a Plenary indulgence to those who attend Mass and receive
Communion in honor of The Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday of each
month for nine (9) consecutive months.
First Friday Devotion Prayers
The following prayers are recommended in the First Friday Devotion.
Litany of The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Act of Reparation to The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Memorare to The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Prayer of Adoration and Love to The Sacred Heart
Prayer of Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament
Prayer of Trust in the Sacred Heart
Prayer of Consecration
Litany of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Lord,
have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,
have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy
on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fullness of divinity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, obedient to death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and our reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
R. Make our hearts like to Thine.
Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Your most beloved Son and
upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers You in the name of sinners;
and to those who implore Your mercy, in Your great goodness, grant forgiveness
in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who livest and reignest with
Thee forever and ever. Amen.
Act of Reparation
to The Sacred Heart of Jesus
O Jesus,
Divine Savior, deign to cast a look of mercy upon Your children, who assemble
in the same spirit of faith, reparation, and love, and come to deplore their
own infidelities, and those of all poor sinners, their brethren. May we touch
Your Divine Heart by the unanimous and solemn promises we are about to make and
obtain mercy for ourselves, for the world, and for all who are so unhappy as
not to love You. We all promise that for the future:
For the forgetfulness and ingratitude of men, we will console you, O Lord.
For the way you are deserted in your holy tabernacle, we will console you, O
Lord.
For the crimes of sinners, we will console you, O Lord.
For the hatred of the impious, we will console you, O Lord.
For the blasphemies uttered against you, we will console you, O Lord.
For the sacrileges that profane your sacrament of love, we will console you, O
Lord.
For the outrages against your divinity, we will console you, O Lord.
For the injuries of which you are the adorable victim, we will console you, O
Lord.
For the coldness of the greater part of your children, we will console you, O
Lord.
For the contempt of your loving invitation, we will console you, O Lord.
For the infidelity of those who called themselves your friends, we will console
you, O Lord.
For the abuse of your grace, we will console you, O Lord.
For our own unfaithfulness, we will console you, O Lord.
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts, we will console you, O Lord.
For our long delay in loving you, we will console you, O Lord.
For our tepidity in your holy service, we will console you, O Lord.
For your bitter sadness at the loss of souls, we will console you, O Lord.
For your long waiting at the door of our hearts, we will console you, O Lord.
For the heartless scorn that grieves you, we will console you, O Lord.
For your loving sighs, we will console you, O Lord.
For your loving tears, we will console you, O Lord.
For your loving imprisonment, we will console you, O Lord.
For your loving death, we will console you, O Lord.
Let us pray: O Jesus! Divine Savior, from whose Heart comes forth this
bitter complaint, "I looked for one that would comfort me, and I found
none," graciously accept the feeble consolation we offer You, and aid
us so powerfully by Your grace, that we may, for the time to come, shun more
and more all that can displease You, and prove ourselves in everything, and
everywhere, and forever Your most faithful and devoted servants. We ask it
through Your Sacred Heart, O Lord, who live and reign with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
Memorare to The
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Remember,
O most kind Jesus, that none who have had recourse to Your Sacred Heart,
implored its assistance, or called for mercy, have ever been abandoned. Filled,
and animated by this same confidence, O divine Heart, Ruler of all hearts, I
fly to You, and oppressed beneath the weight of my sins, I prostrate myself
before You. Despise not Your unworthy child, but grant me, I pray, an entrance
into Your Sacred Heart. Sustain me in all my combats and be with me now, and at
all times, but especially in the hour of my death. O gracious Jesus! O amiable
Jesus! O loving Jesus! Amen.
Prayer of
Adoration and Love to the Sacred Heart
I
adore Thee, I love Thee, I praise Thee, I cry to Thee for mercy, I return Thee
thanks, I invoke Thee and confide myself entirely to Thee, O most holy and
adorable Heart of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who for the salvation of us
all didst submit Thyself to the rigors of Divine Justice, and didst voluntarily
accept a birth accompanied with poverty, sorrow and contempt, a life of labor
and contradictions, but of kindness for all, and a death full of opprobrium,
confusion and sorrow, and who, in fine, for the love of those who wish to be
saved through Thy divine charity, dost remain in the Blessed Sacrament of the
altar to the end of time. Accomplish, O most adorable Heart, Thy wishes in my
poor and miserable heart, which I dedicate and consecrate to Thee forever.
Grant that it may live in the sentiments of love and gratitude which it owes
Thee, that it may at all times breathe only Thy honor and glory, in order that
it may expire in the waters of perfect contrition. Amen.
Prayer of
Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament
Jesus
Christ, my Lord and my God, Whom I believe to be really present in the Blessed
Sacrament of the Altar, receive this most profound act of adoration to supply
for the desire I have to adore Thee unceasingly, and in thanksgiving for the
sentiments of love which Thy sacred Heart has for me in this sacrament. I
cannot better acknowledge them than by offering Thee all the acts of adoration,
resignation, patience, and love which this same Heart has made during its
mortal life, and which it makes still and which it shall make eternally in
heaven, in order that through it I may love Thee, praise Thee, and adore Thee
worthily as much as it is possible for me. I unite myself to this divine
offering which Thou dost make to Thy divine Father, and I consecrate to Thee my
whole being, praying Thee to destroy in me all sin and not to permit that I
should be separated from Thee eternally. Amen.
Prayer of Trust
in The Sacred Heart
In all
my temptations, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In all my weaknesses, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In all my difficulties, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In all my trials, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In all my sorrows, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In all my work, I place my trust in You, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In every failure, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In every discouragement, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In life and in death, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In time and in eternity, I place my trust in Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Prayer of
Consecration
I,
_______, give myself to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I
consecrate to Him my person and my life, my actions, pains, and sufferings, so
that henceforth I shall be unwilling to make use of any part of my being
except for the honor, love, and glory of the Sacred Heart.
My unchanging purpose is to be all His and to do all things for the love of Him
while renouncing with all my heart whatever is displeasing to Him.
I take you, O Sacred Heart, as the only object of my love, the guardian of my
life, the assurance of my salvation, the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy,
the atonement for all my faults, and the sure refugee at my death.
O Heart of love, I place all my trust in You, for I fear everything from my own
wickedness and frailty, but I hope for all things from Your goodness and
bounty.
Consume in me all that can displease You or resist Your holy Will. Let Your
pure love imprint You so deeply upon my heart that I shall nevermore be able to
forget You or be separated from You. May I obtain from all Your loving kindness
the grace of having my name written in You, for I desire to place in You all my
happiness and all my glory, living and dying in virtual bondage to You.
Fr. Mike highlights the moment God makes a covenant with David, promising him an everlasting dynasty, but reserving the building of the Temple to David's son Solomon. He also teaches us how 2 Samuel 7 foreshadows the fact that the Blessed Mother is the new Ark of the Covenant. Today's readings are 2 Samuel 6-7, 1 Chronicles 9, and Psalm 89.
Fitness Friday-Take a bath
Rome was in part a great nation due to their system of "Bathing".
After researching the bath system, I have reinvented the roman bath into a
10-step method.
- Oil
- Light
Exercise
- Warm
bath/massage
- Steam Room
followed by drinks.
- Hot
Bath/Sauna
- Cold Bath
- Massage
w/oils
- Entertainment/Sunbath
- Walk/Art
- Food/Alcohol
We can safely assume that the Roman Bath, or Thermae, is the father of our
modern-day spas and health clubs. Bathing in ancient Rome was not a private
activity conducted in the intimacy of one's home. Quite to the contrary,
it was a highly social activity where men and woman of all classes congregated
at different hours to exercise, bathe, socialize, relax and even read in the
bathhouse’s communal libraries. During the Roman Empire bathhouses flourished. The city of Rome had 170 baths
during the reign of Augustus, which increased to 900 in 300 AD. Bathhouses were
considered a public facility and were built using tax money collected by the
municipality. Sometimes a rich lord or emperor would build a sumptuous
bath to impress his subjects and would grant them free entrance for a period of
time. Generally, a modest entrance fee, affordable by all men was charged at
the bathhouse. The women's fee was double, and their bath time restricted
to mornings, while men used the baths from the early afternoon to closing time.
Communal bathing, although frowned upon, must have been indulged in regularly
in ancient Rome as various Roman emperors frequently outlawed it.
·
An
interesting aspect of the Roman Bath was the exercise area or Palaestra (as the gym is still referred
to by the Italians today).
This is where the ancient Roman males and some females
engaged in various types or muscle-building and sweat-inducing exercises like
weightlifting, ball games, wrestling and boxing. Bowls, gambling with dice
and various board games were available for the less energetic. The Roman
bathhouses were the height of luxury. Even the average bath had floor to
ceiling mirrors, intricate mosaics and rich marble pools. The baths were the
equivalent of a social club or today's shopping malls. Besides the bath
and the gym, they had a library with a reading room, a snack bar, restaurants,
wine and beer bars, shops, lounges, taverns and hair cutting salons. Some even
had a museum and a theatre.
·
A
typical Roman bath started in the apodyterium
or changing rooms, where people would take their clothes off in small cubicles
and leave their slaves to guard them.
·
From
there, they would step into the unctuarium
where they had various oils rubbed onto their skin and could then exercise in
one of the exercise yards or Palaestra.
·
Then,
they would generally move to the tepidarium
or warm room, where they would lie around chatting with their friends, with
attendants serving them snacks and drinks.
·
The
tepidarium was a transitional area
and preparation for the hot caldarium.
·
The
latter is the equivalent of a sauna or steam bath, hot and steamy with heated
floors where the bathers would sweat profusely while scraping their skin with a
strigil.
This curved metal tool was used to remove the oils,
which were used by the common people instead of the very expensive soaps, only
accessible to the rich.
·
From
the hot steaming rooms, the bathers would then move to the frigidarium where, as the name indicates, they were able to cool
off and allow the skin pores to close.
The frigidarium contained pools of fresh water for
dipping and swimming. After swimming, the bather would enjoy a massage and
have oils and perfumes rubbed
into his skin. Feeling clean and relaxed, the Roman bather then drifts through
the beautiful gardens decorated with mosaics and colossal
sculptures. Undoubtedly, the most interesting feature of the Roman bath
was the under-floor heating, made possible by the Hypocaust system for heating
the building and the pools. Thanks to the Hypocaust, hot air, heated from
the basement fires flowing between the bricks and concrete columns would heat
the rooms. In some baths the floor would be so hot that the bathers had to wear
wooden sandals to prevent their soles from burning. The ancient Romans
were undisputed early Master of
Architecture and civil planning. They are accredited for being the
builders of the greatest aqueducts in the world. These refer to an
intricate system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and supporting structures,
which were used to transport water from its source onto a main distribution
point. Through these aqueducts water
flowed to the city by the sheer force of gravity. It usually went through a
series of distribution tanks within the city from which it is later transported
to its final destination.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Holy
Bishops and Cardinals
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
