Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Revelation, Chapter 1, Verse 17-18
17 When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead. He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, 18 the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.

All have sinned; all are unjust. Have you ever thought “Now comes the reckoning for his blood” as Josephs brothers did in today’s first reading.

Yet, the Lord has touched us, and it is important to note that he has touched us with his right hand; signifying power, forgiveness and authority saying, “Do not be afraid”.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday, October 25, 2026------22nd S. af. P.

Image
Smoke in this life, not the next. Sun, Oct 25 — Twenty‑Second Sunday after Pentecost The Abundance That Reveals the Wound Cigar: Medium‑bodied blend Pour: Buffalo Trace Reflection: Notice the abundance. October 25 stands in the quiet breadth of Ordinary Time, where the Church asks a man to stop rushing past the truth of his own soul. Yesterday you faced the pains that purify; today you face the reason they hurt. The poor souls in purgatory suffer not because God is harsh, but because God is generous. Their pain comes from abundance — the abundance of love they finally see, the abundance of truth they can no longer avoid, the abundance of holiness they were made for but resisted. The tradition teaches two causes of their suffering. The pain of loss is the ache of being held back from the Face they were created to behold. Ott reminds us they know they are God’s friends, and the separation cuts deeper precisely because their desire is pure. Aquinas sharpens the point: the more a thing...
Read more

Tuesday, October 27, 2026-Devotion to the Holy Face

Image
Smoke in This Life, Not the Next Tue, Oct 27 — Devotion to the Holy Face The Discipline That Makes a Man Transparent Cigar: Mild Connecticut Pour: Bulleit Reflection: Reinforce the discipline. October 27 falls on a Tuesday, and Tuesday belongs to the Holy Face. Today the Church asks a man to look directly at what he is becoming. The Holy Face is not merely an image; it is a mirror. It reveals the truth of the soul without ornament, without excuse, without the softening shadows we prefer. Under that gaze, discipline becomes mercy. The Catechism teaches that purgatory is the final purification of the elect — a cleansing fire entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The soul suffers because it finally sees what holiness requires. CCC 1030 names the assurance; CCC 1031 names the fire; CCC 1032 names the charity that accompanies the dead. The doctrine is simple: nothing unclean enters heaven, and God loves His sons too fiercely to let them remain bent. Devotion to the Holy F...
Read more

Wednesday, October 28, 2026-Start 9 Day Holy Face Novena for 1st Fri.

Image
SMOKE IN THIS LIFE, NOT THE NEXT Wed, Oct 28 — Sts. Simon & Jude   Cigar: Strong Habano  Pour: 1792 Small Batch  Reflection: Persevere without applause. The Church gives this Wednesday to Simon the Zealot and Jude the Patron of the Impossible —two apostles who labored without spotlight, without applause, without the soft praise that weakens a man. Their feast falls in the middle of the week, where perseverance is tested and interior discipline is revealed. Christ’s hard word in Matthew 5:26 stands behind their witness: Usque ad novissimum quadrantem —the last farthing. Divine Justice is exact. Every disorder, every attachment, every stain must be burned clean before the soul can endure the Beatific Vision. The guilt is forgiven; the debt remains. The soul is saved; the rust must still be removed. St. Catherine of Genoa saw this with terrifying clarity. The souls in Purgatory suffer willingly because they finally see the obstacle within themselves. The fire is not ...
Read more

October

October

November

November
Remember-Feasts All Saint, All Souls, Thanksgiving

December

December
December opens the door to quiet expectancy