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
14 Nothing is
impossible for Yahweh. I shall come back to you at the same time next year and
Sarah will have a son.' 15 Sarah 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
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.
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[1]Roizen,
Michael F. & Oz, Mehmet C. (2007) You Staying Young. Simon & Schuster, Inc
[2]http://www.newmanconnection.com/faith/saint/feast-of-the-immaculate-heart-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2020-06-20
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