Saturday, June 28, 2025

Vinny’s Corner
·         Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·         Bucket Item trip: Pilgrimage-National Marian Shrine located in Subukia, Kenya (Maybe you’ll see Barack there)
·         June 28, 1926, stands out as a true icon in the world of comedy. His journey began in Brooklyn, New York.
·         Some catholic groups fast for the Vigil of Ss. Peter and Paul (June 28)
·         Foodie: Beast of a Feast
o   Or do you prefer raw, fresh fish
·         Elon Musk, born on June 28, 1971
·         Spirit hour: Dawa

JUNE 28 Saturday

Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary-Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

Genesis, Chapter 18, verse 14-16

¹⁴Nothing is impossible for Yahweh. I shall come back to you at the same time next year and Sarah will have a son.' ¹⁵Sarah said, 'I did not laugh,' lying because she was AFRAID. But he replied, 'Oh yes, you did laugh.' ¹⁶ From there the men set out and arrived within sight of Sodom, with Abraham accompanying them to speed them on their way.

Nothing is impossible for he who is. According to Doctors Michael Roizen and Mehment Oz, Yahweh is nearly unpronounceable sounds that are made in our first and last breaths made in life. At the first deep inspire of air comes the sound YAH and at the last wheeze WEH. He is the alpha and the omega; the beginning and the end.^{^[1]} When I was a youth of 20 I had the great honor of serving in the Navy Seabee’s and went to build the South Pole Station in Antarctica and breathing was difficult in the frozen thin air, here is an excerpt from my book, “The Ice is Nice and Chee-Chee is Peachy.

Most of the Steelworkers and I were assigned to shoveling snow that had accumulated from the winter. As you worked, it was so ice-cold that frost formed on your beard, face and hair from the vapor of your very breath. Living there, I could really reflect on the statement: “God is closer to you than the very air you breathe”. Being there gave new meaning to that. Your breath was always with you; you could not escape it; even if you tried. Your breath almost caressed you as you went about your day. I thought, “Are we really loved that much?” and then I reflected on John 3:16 from the bible and it seemed to make more sense to me.

It is interesting to note that when we laugh, we are forcing our breath out. Be Not Afraid.

Copilot

Genesis 18 offers a rich tapestry of spiritual insight, and from a Catholic perspective, it reveals several profound lessons about fear—both its pitfalls and its redemptive potential.

1. Fear Can Obscure Faith

When Sarah overhears the Lord’s promise that she will bear a son, she laughs inwardly, doubting because of her old age. Her laughter is not just disbelief—it’s rooted in fear: fear of disappointment, of dashed hopes, of the impossible. The Lord’s gentle rebuke—“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”—reminds us of that fear often stems from forgetting God’s omnipotence.

2. Fear Can Lead to Denial

When confronted, Sarah denies laughing, “because she was afraid” (Genesis 18:15). This moment reflects how fear can lead us to hide from truth or avoid accountability. Yet God responds not with wrath, but with calm correction—showing that divine love invites honesty, even in our weakness.

3. Holy Fear vs. Human Fear

Catholic tradition distinguishes between servile fear (fear of punishment) and filial fear (a reverent awe of God). Sarah’s fear is initially servile—she’s afraid of being caught in doubt. But the deeper lesson is to cultivate filial fear: a trustful reverence that acknowledges God’s power and goodness. As Hebrews 11:11 later affirms, Sarah ultimately believed because she “considered him faithful who had promised.”

4. Fear Can Be Transformed by Prayer

Abraham’s dialogue with God about Sodom shows a different kind of fear—not of punishment, but of injustice. His bold intercession is rooted in trust, not terror. This teaches us that fear, when brought into conversation with God, can become a catalyst for compassion and courage.

In short, Genesis 18 invites us to move from fear that paralyzes to fear that purifies—a reverent awe that opens us to God’s surprising grace.

Immaculate Heart of Mary[2]

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. Two elements are essential to the devotion, Mary’s interior life and the beauties of her soul, and Mary’s virginal body. According to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man. It was in 1855, that the Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary formally became a part of the Catholic practice. Traditionally, the heart of Mary in artwork is depicted with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven sorrows of Mary. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart. Veneration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary generally coincides with the worship of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

However, there is a difference that explains the Roman Catholic devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the “Divine Heart”, as overflowing with love for humanity. In the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of her Immaculate Heart for Jesus and for God.

A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love, responding to love. In devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, love is formed from study and imitation of Mary’s yes to God as the mother of Jesus. In this devotion, love is more the result, than the “object” of the devotion; the object being rather to love God and Jesus by uniting oneself to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues, to help one achieve this. History of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is connected in many ways to that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Christians were drawn to the love and virtues of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and this paved the devotion from the beginning. Early Christians had compassion for the Virgin Mary, and the Gospels recount prophecy delivered to her at Jesus’ presentation in the temple, and that her heart would be pierced with a sword. The image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with the pierced heart is the most popular representation. St. John’s Gospel further invites us to the attention of Mary’s heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus’ crucifixion. St. Augustine tells us that Mary was more blessed in having born Christ in her heart, than in having conceived him in the flesh.

Things to Do:[3]

· Read the entire article from the Catholic Encyclopedia about the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

· Read this article about Saturdays and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Bishop and Martyr (130-202).[4] He was born in Asia Minor around the year 140. It is not known when he came to Gaul. He was a priest of the Church of Lyons during the persecution of 177 when St. Pothinus, first bishop of the city and the first martyr of Lyons, was put to death. Irenaeus succeeded him as bishop and twenty-five years later was martyred in his turn during a fresh persecution. At a time when Gnostic sects threatened to undermine Christianity by a perversion of Christian thought, St. Irenaeus vigorously denounced all heresies and safeguarded unity of belief by laying down the principles of the doctrinal tradition of the Church.

Tomorrow is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Observance of the solemnity begins with First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) in the Liturgy of the Hours on June 28, and a special Vigil Mass before or after First Vespers. The liturgical day is from midnight to midnight in the Church's observance, except for Sunday and solemnities which begin with the evening of the preceding day.

Bible in a Year-Day 10

Fr. Mike reads Genesis 20-21, Job 9-10, and Proverbs 2:6-8 and shows us how we can strive for holiness, even in the midst of sin and suffering.

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Increase in Christian Femininity

o From a Catholic perspective, increasing Christian femininity means embracing the God-given dignity, vocation, and spiritual gifts unique to women—rooted in Scripture, tradition, and the example of the Virgin Mary.

§ Here are some keyways this is understood and nurtured:

· Rediscovering Femininity as a Gift
Catholic teaching emphasizes that femininity is not a social construct but a divine design. Women are created in the image of God with a unique capacity for fruitful receptivity—not just in motherhood, but in spiritual and relational life.

· Imitating the Virgin Mary
Mary is seen as the perfect model of Catholic femininity: humble, strong, nurturing, and obedient to God's will. Her “yes” to God is the ultimate expression of trust and spiritual motherhood.

· Cultivating Feminine Virtues
Traits like patience, self-giving, tenderness, and receptivity are celebrated—not as weaknesses, but as powerful virtues that reflect Christ’s love. Catholic thinkers like St. Edith Stein and Alice von Hildebrand have written beautifully about how these qualities are essential to the Church and society.

· Healing Cultural Wounds
The Church acknowledges that many women have been hurt by distorted views of femininity—whether through radical feminism, societal pressures, or even neglect within Church structures. A return to authentic femininity is also a path of healing and renewal.

· Living Out Vocation
Whether as mothers, consecrated religious, professionals, or single women, Catholic femininity is about living one’s vocation with love, integrity, and a heart open to God’s grace.