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Monday, June 16, 2025

  Monday Night at the Movies Stromboli 1950 The 1950 film Stromboli , directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring Ingrid Bergman, is a class...

Saint's Michael's Lent Day 40

Saint's Michael's Lent Day 40
August 15-Sep 29

Thursday, June 19, 2025


Rachel’s Corner

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free, (Luke 4:18)

·         Bucket List: Military Hop

o   NSA NAPLES (IT) INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PASSENGER TERMINAL

§  What to do

·         When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart.

·         Foodie: Sfogliatelle

o    Or real food

§  Great Gas: Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

·         do a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.

·         Spirit hour: Chanti Wine

o   It’s OK to have a Martini or two


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.

·         According to Mary Agreda[9] in her visions it was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the approach of night that the Angel Gabriel approached and announced her as Mother of God and she gave her fiat.

Thursday Feast

Best Places to Visit in June

Texas Hill Country, USA[10]

This region is a beautiful mix of natural landmarks, picturesque small towns, and historical attractions, and I’m a huge fan! 

Texas Hill Country is packed with rich history and culture and filled with scenic rivers, lovely lakes, rugged terrain, and beautiful flora. There are plenty of outdoor adventures here, from hiking to wildlife spotting.

Temperatures warm the state in the shoulder season from late March to this month, with warm sunshine and an average of 86 degrees during spring.

I highly recommend not missing the Kerrville Folk Festival or, if you arrive early enough, the Strawberry Festival, hiking, biking, floating, or soaking in the warm Texas sunshine before the searing summers start! 

  • Visitor’s Centre Address: 160 Ingram Hills Rd, Ingram, TX 78025, Phone: +1 830-367-2151
  • Average temperature – 86 degrees
  • Location Map and Directions

My favorite highlights…

  • Visiting the magical enchanted rock formed from pink granite (one of the largest in the country).
  • Discovering what is in the Cave Without a Name – a unique spot 80 feet below the ground.
  • Stopping at the many quirky roadside attractions! 

·         World Tapas Day

The Baba Goes Flying

This story is related to world tapas day, sort of.  Before I was born my parents took my older brother and sister on an adventure using the military airlift command. Soldiers and Sailors, and their families are allowed to fly free on any military flight provided there is room. As was the case my father took the family all on board a military plane and took them to Rota, Spain for a VACA from Sigonella, Sicily to Rota, Spain.

It was a long trip, and my older sister was tired and cranky and refused to stop crying once the fam got settled in a hotel room for $16.00 a night. At that time, my sister had a comfort pillow my Aunt Linda had made for her which was called the “Baba”. My father, being frustrated with her refusal to stop crying suddenly picked up the “Baba” which had a loose string and tried the string around his finger and threatened to throw my “Baba” off the third-floor balcony if she did not stop crying. That of course made it worse, and she screamed even louder. Then my father, true to his word threw the “Baba” for a flight and when it got to the end of the string the string broke, and the “Baba” flew out the balcony and landed on the balcony on the second floor. She screamed louder.

My mother had had it with my father and told him that he had better get the “Baba” back or else shit would happen. So, my father and mother, and Tweedle De and Tweedle Da all went down to the room under them. My father knocked. No answer. So, then he knocked again. No answer. My father tried the door it opened and looking inside could see the “Baba” out on the balcony. Bracing himself he entered the room holding my sisters hand with my mother cradling my brother behind him. My father stated that they made it about 1/3 in when he noticed a head raising off the pillow of the bed and then in comical fashion, he backed up almost knocking my mother down. They all ran back upstairs. Now my sister screamed even louder, and my mother really let him have it.  My father was really frustrated and did not know what to do. Going out on the balcony he noticed that there was a trellis rising from the ground floor going up to the balcony right next to the Tapas Bar. My father, the criminal that he was, marched out there, climbed the trellis retrieved the “Baba” and saved the day. My sister still screamed all night. After that my father went down to the bar and ate tapas acting as if nothing happened. I wonder if there is a tapa called “Baba”.





JUNE 19 Thursday-Traditional Corpus Christi

SAUNTER DAY-JUNETEENTH

 

2 Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 3

But I am AFRAID that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere [and pure] commitment to Christ.

 

Paul was concerned here about the faithfulness of the church knowing that where the mind goes so does the heart and soul. We are often plagued by worldly hearts.

 

Let us listen to the words of Saint John Vianney: The World is Everything and God is Nothing![1]

If people would do for god what they do for the world, my dear people, what a great number of Christians would go to Heaven! But if you, dear children, had to pass three or four hours praying in a church, as you pass them at a dance or in a cabaret, how heavily the time would press upon you! If you had to go to a great many different places in order to hear a sermon, as you go for your pastimes or to satisfy your avarice and greed, what pretexts there would be, and how many detours would be taken to avoid going at all. But nothing is too much trouble when done for the world. What is more, people are not afraid of losing either God or their souls or Heaven. With what good reason did Jesus Christ, my dear people, say that the children of this world are more zealous in serving their master, the world, than the children of light are in serving theirs, who is God. To our shame, we must admit that people fear neither expense, nor even going into debt, when it is a matter of satisfying their pleasures, but if some poor person asks them for help, they have nothing at all. This is true of so many: they have everything for the world and nothing at all for God because to them, the world is everything and God is nothing.

Copilot:

2 Corinthians 9 doesn’t directly address fear in the way some other passages might, but from a Catholic perspective, it offers a powerful lesson on overcoming fear through trust in divine providence and generous love.

This chapter focuses on cheerful giving—St. Paul encourages the Corinthians to give freely and abundantly, not out of obligation or fear of lack, but out of love and faith. He writes, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Catholic commentary by Haydock emphasizes that such generosity is a spiritual sacrifice and a sign of sincere faith.

Here’s the deeper takeaway: fear often stems from a sense of scarcity—fear of not having enough, of losing control, or of being vulnerable. But Paul flips that mindset. He reminds the faithful that God is able to provide abundantly, so that “you may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). In Catholic teaching, this is a call to trust in God’s providence—to believe that when we act in love and charity, God will not abandon us.

So, the lesson? Let love and trust in God’s goodness be greater than fear. When we give of ourselves—whether it’s time, resources, or compassion—we’re not diminished. We’re participating in God’s grace.

Corpus Christi-Thursdays are Special[2]

 

Traditional Feast of Corpus Christi

The Feast of Corpus Christi (Ecclesiastical Latin: Dies Sanctissimi Corporis et Sanguinis Domini Iesu Christi, lit. 'Day of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ the Lord'), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Western Orthodox liturgical solemnity celebrating the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. Two months earlier, the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is observed on Maundy Thursday in a sombre atmosphere leading to Good Friday. The liturgy on that day also commemorates Christ's washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the priesthood and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The feast of Corpus Christi was proposed by Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church, to Pope Urban IV, in order to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist, emphasizing the joy of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Having recognized the authenticity of the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena on input of Aquinas, in 1264, the pontiff, then living in Orvieto, established the feast of Corpus Christi as a Solemnity and extended it to the whole Roman Catholic Church.

The feast is liturgically celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, "where the Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is not a holy day of obligation, it is assigned to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity as its proper day".

At the end of Holy Mass, there is often a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance. The procession is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. A notable Eucharistic procession is that presided over by the Pope each year in Rome, where it begins at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran and passes to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where it concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The celebration of the feast was suppressed in Protestant churches during the Reformation for theological reasons: outside Lutheranism, which maintained the confession of the Real Presence, many Protestants denied the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist other than as a merely symbolic or spiritual presence. Today, most Protestant denominations do not recognize the feast day. The Church of England abolished it in 1548 as the English Reformation progressed, but later reintroduced it. Most Anglican churches now observe Corpus Christi, sometimes under the name "Thanksgiving for Holy Communion".

 

A Eucharistic miracle inspired the Feast of Corpus Christi[3]

Q: I recently learned that the feast of Corpus Christi was inspired by a Eucharistic miracle. Can you please give more details about this? — A reader in Springfield

A: In the year 1263, a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at the town of Bolsena, north of Rome, while he was on a pilgrimage to Rome. Records indicate that Peter was a good, pious priest who strived for holiness. He was troubled by the apathy of many of the faithful; clerical immorality and laxity; and a lack of reverence at Mass. Worse, he was afflicted with doubt about the holy Eucharist. Like those in the Gospel, he asked himself,

“How could this be? How can Jesus share with us His Body and Blood?”

He agonized over whether at the words of consecration the bread and wine became the Body and Blood of Our Savior and whether Christ actually was present in the consecrated host. He knew well that the church believed and taught that the bread and wine were transformed into the Body and Blood of Our Lord at the consecration during the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Moreover, the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 had solemnly used the word “transubstantiation.” Yet, he had trouble believing and prayed that the Lord would increase his faith.

Father Peter placed the host in the corporal and then wrapped both in another linen. Arriving at Orvieto, Peter told the Holy Father what had happened. Urban IV then ordered an investigation. After all of the facts had been ascertained, the Holy Father declared a miracle had occurred. He ordered the relics to be brought to the Cathedral of Orvieto, which they were with a procession of great pomp and ceremony. The pope met the procession, and the relics were placed in the cathedral, where they are still be venerated today.

One year later, in1264, Pope Urban IV instituted the feast of Corpus Christi, a special feast day to recognize and to promote the great gift of the Blessed Sacrament. He commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to compose a Mass and an office for the Liturgy of the Hours honoring the holy Eucharist. St. Thomas Aquinas also composed the beautiful Eucharistic hymns “Panis Angelicus,” “Pange Lingua,” “O Salutaris Hostia” and “Tantum Ergo.”

Today, at the Church of St. Christina in Bolsena, one finds the altar where the miracle took place, and the blood-stained stones of the miracle are preserved. The Cathedral of Orvieto possesses the blood-stained corporal as well as fragments of the miraculous host.

In 1964, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi, Pope Paul VI celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Mass at the altar where the holy corporal is kept in the Cathedral of Orvieto. Then in 1976, Pope Paul VI visited Bolsena and spoke from there via television to the 41st International Eucharistic Congress meeting in Philadelphia, whose theme was “Jesus the Bread of Life.” In his address, the Holy Father said the holy Eucharist is “a mystery, great and inexhaustible.” How true, indeed.

Corpus Christi[4]

WHY is this day called Corpus Christi?

Because on this day the Catholic Church solemnly celebrates the institution of the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. The name, which is Latin, signifies the body of Christ.

Why is this feast not celebrated on Maundy Thursday?

Because on Maundy Thursday, the day of the institution of this sacrament, the Church is occupied with the passion and death of Christ, and has no thought of joy, but gives herself up to grief.

By whom was this feast established?

It was instituted by Pope Urban IV. Persuaded by a devout nun of Liege, who believed herself to be divinely encouraged to introduce this feast, Robert, Bishop of Liege, determined, in the year 1247 to celebrate this feast in his diocese. This intention he was prevented from carrying out by death. In the year 1264 Pope Urban IV commanded this feast to be solemnly celebrated throughout the whole Church. Clement V confirms the order, at the Council of Vienne, 1311, and fixed the feast on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

For what purpose was this feast instituted, and why are processions so solemnly held on this day?

1. To declare, openly, to the faithful the real and substantial presence of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

2. In order to manifest, in the sight of heaven and earth, honor and adoration for Him before Whom every knee shall bow.

3. To give public thanks for the institution of this holy sacrament, and for all the graces thereby conferred upon the faithful.

4. To repair, in some measure, by solemn adoration, the wrongs done to Christ, in this sacrament.

5. To bring down God’s blessing upon the land and upon the people.

6. To show that Jesus, as true God, dwells not only in temples built by hands, but that He has heaven for His throne, the earth for His foot stool, and the whole world for His temple.

The Church sings at the Introit of the Mass: He fed them with the fat of wheat, alleluia; and filled them with honey out of the rock, alleluia, alleluia. Rejoice to God our helper, sing aloud to the God of Jacob” (Ps. Ixxx.).

Prayer.

O God, Who in this wonderful sacrament hast left us a memorial of Thy passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to reverence the sacred mysteries of Thy body and blood, that we may ever perceive within us the fruit of Thy redemption. Amen.

EPISTLE, i. COR. xi. 23-29.

Brethren: For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke and said: Take ye and eat: This is My body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of Me. In like manner also the chalice, after He had supped, saying: This chalice is the New Testament in My blood, this do ye as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of Me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until He come: therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so, let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself: not discerning the body of the Lord.

GOSPEL. John vi. 56-59.

 

At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: My flesh is meat indeed and My blood is drink; indeed, he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father so he that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.

 

Why did Jesus say, this is the bread that came down from heaven?

 

He wished thereby to teach the Jews that the bread which He would give them, like the manna, came down from heaven, and was, indeed, the only true bread from heaven. The manna was but a type and could only prolong the life of the body. The type was now to be fulfilled; the bread that He was about to give them would impart to them eternal life, and this bread would be His flesh, Himself, Who truly came from heaven, to redeem mankind, and to bring them to life everlasting. Jesus calls His flesh bread, partly on account of its likeness to the manna, partly on account of its effect; for as bread nourishes the body, and sustains the earthly life, so the body of Christ, in the Holy Sacrament, nourishes the soul, and imparts to it, continually, a new, divine, and everlasting life.

 

What is the Holy Sacrament of the Altar?

 

It is that sacrament in which, after the words of its institution have been spoken by the priest, Jesus Christ is present, whole and entire, in His Godhead and in His manhood, under the appearance of bread and wine.

 

When and how did Jesus institute this sacrament?

 

At the Last Supper, In the night, before He was betrayed, He took bread, and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, Take and eat, for this is My body which will be given for you. In the same manner, He took the chalice and said, Take and drink, for this chalice is the new covenant in My blood. Do this as often as you drink from it in commemoration of Me.

 

What did Jesus affect by these words?

 

He changed bread and wine into His most precious body and blood.

 

Has He given to others the power to do the same?

 

Yes, He gave this power to His apostles and their successors, the bishops and priests, in these words: Do this in commemoration of Me.

 

What takes place at the words of consecration?

 

Bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and only the outward appearances of bread and wine remain.

 

How is Jesus present in the Most Holy Sacrament?

 

He is present, truly, really, and substantially, in His divinity and humanity, in flesh and blood, in body and soul, under the appearances of bread and wine.

 

Why do we believe this?

 

1. Because the words of Jesus do not reasonably admit of any other meaning: since by them we see

 

(a) that Jesus gave His disciples a certain nourishment which they were to eat.

 

(b) that this nourishment was bread and wine to all appearances, but Jesus called the bread His body, which was afterwards to be sacrificed for us, and the wine His blood, which was to be shed for us: this food consequently was not bread and wine, but, under the appearance of bread and wine, was indeed His body and blood; since what He gave for our redemption was not bread and wine, but His true body and His true blood;

 

(c) that as the body and blood of Jesus were inseparable from His soul and divinity, He gave Himself up for our nourishment, whole and undivided, as He hung, bled, and died upon the cross.

 

(d) that He commanded what He had done to be continued until He should come again (1 Cor. xi. 26), that is, until the end of the world; and that He,

 

(e) on account of this being His testament, and the New Law, was not at liberty to speak figuratively, but plainly and distinctly.

 

2. Because the apostles preached this very doctrine.

 

3. Because the Catholic Church, the pillar and foundation of truth, has thus constantly taught, from the apostle’s times down to the present day, as the oldest Councils and the Holy Fathers unanimously testify

Plenary Indulgences for the Feast of Corpus Christi [The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ]

Which are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? They are the twelve following:

1. Charity.

2. Joy.

3. Peace.

4. Patience.

5. Benignity.

6. Goodness.

7. Longsuffering.

8. Mildness.

9. Faith.

10. Modesty.

11. Continency.

12. Chastity.

These fruits should be visible in the Christian, for thereby men shall know that the Holy Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known by its fruit.

Notice I have placed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in stairstep fashion so we may reflect on them seeing that by concentrating on each step of our growth in the spirit we may progress closer and closer to our heavenly Father. Today we will be focusing on the eleventh step which is Joy.

Bible in a Year-Day 2

In today's readings of Genesis 3-4 and Psalm 104, Fr. Mike draws the connection between love and sacrifice in the story of Adam and Eve and explains the story of Cain and Abel.

Sauntering Day[5]

“I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

·         The world around us is moving at such a hectic pace that we often forget to slow down and smell the proverbial roses. Even our walk is at high speed, pushing every inch of speed we can out of what is otherwise the most leisurely of modes of locomotion. It isn’t just an opportunity for us to remember to walk it is, more importantly, an opportunity for us to take a truly relaxed tack to the day and choose to saunter.

History of Sauntering Day

Saunter: v, a walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort.

·         This holiday was formed by W.T. Rabe in 1979 as a response to the sworn enemy of the Saunter, jogging. Jogging is a grueling attack on movement, with rapidity and effort being the purpose at hand, and all joy being drained from getting around by making each step as painful as possible. Perhaps we’re biased, but we believe the saunter to be the unquestionably superior alternative. Sauntering doesn’t just mean walking; it means walking as though the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders. It means being free from stress and strain, and instead focusing on the pure joy of walking. In fact, sauntering specifically implies that you will be moving in a joyful manner. 

·         Sauntering Day is your opportunity to head out into the world and approach it with a deeply relaxed air, a moment of pure clarity and joy, all while enjoying the beautiful world around you and everything it has to offer.

How to Celebrate Sauntering Day

·         Give yourself plenty of time today and do so with the intent of relaxing and truly enjoying your journey to wherever it is you have to go. Saunter casually with pure relaxation and take in the scents and sights. Greet others, and don’t let their urge to move quickly infect yours. In fact, see if you can get them to slow down and join you on your happy little saunter. The world will be better for it, and you’ll be happier for it. Sauntering Day is your opportunity to leave all the rush behind and just… Saunter… through your day.

Juneteenth[6]

Juneteenth, also called Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, celebrates the abolition of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Texas to deliver news that President Lincoln has issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the enslaved. Although Lincoln's Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, it took nearly two and half years for word to travel from Washington to Texas. By then, Texas had amassed more than 250,000 slaves.  

Since 1865, Juneteenth has been informally celebrated throughout the country however in 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize it as an official holiday. Shortly thereafter, other states also proclaimed the holiday. Today, Juneteenth is a celebration of African American freedom, heritage and culture observed through songs, communal cookouts and parades.

Juneteenth Facts & Quotes

·         According to the International Labor Organization, almost 21 million people are victims of forced labor today, 11+ million women and girls and 9+ million men and boys.

·         Juneteenth is a combination of the words June and Nineteenth about the date that slaves were freed in Texas.

·         The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. - General Gordon Granger, Major General of the United States Army, Issued June 19, 1865.

·         ...I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons. - President Abraham Lincoln, The Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863

Juneteenth Top Events and Things to Do

·         Read the Emancipation Proclamation.  The proclamation, issued by President Lincoln, declared all persons held as slaves within any State... shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.

·         Visit the Whitney Plantation, America's first slavery museum, to learn about impact of slavery in Southern America.  The museum contains exhibits, artwork, restored buildings and first-person slave narratives about the lives of those enslaved in Louisiana.

·         Sing traditional Juneteenth songs.  These include Swing low, Swing Chariot, and Lift Every Voice and Sing.

·         Attend the annual Juneteenth Emancipation Celebration at Emancipation Park, Houston Texas.

·         Attend a Juneteenth Musical Festival.  These are held across the United States; great ones can be found in Denver, Berkeley and Atlanta

Let Courtesy be your watchword

Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday, June 19, 1945, is a leader from Myanmar who fought for democracy. Her life has been full of challenges and achievements.

Suu Kyi spent many years under house arrest because she stood up for her beliefs. Despite this, she never gave up on her dream of a free country. Her story inspires people all over the world.

John McCain in his book “Character is Destiny[7] highlights the life of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the Burmese wife of an Oxford professor who came home to free her people, and oppose the political tyrants who jailed her with courage and decency and yet despite her mistreatment is for us a modern example of courtesy. Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma in 1988, after years of living and studying abroad, only to find widespread slaughter of protesters rallying against the brutal rule of dictator U Ne Win. She spoke out against him and initiated a nonviolent movement toward achieving democracy and human rights. In 1989, the government placed Suu Kyi under house arrest, and she spent 15 of the next 21 years in custody. In 1991, her ongoing efforts won her the Nobel Prize for Peace, and she was finally released from house arrest in November 2010. She has since gained a parliamentary seat with the National League for Democracy party.[8]

 

McCain says of Aung San Suu Kyi:

 

In Burma, courtesy is a rebellious gesture to a ruling elite that has tried to terrorize such refined kindness from their culture, and make a world where only power matters, where there are only the fearsome and the fearful. Suu, as she asks Western visitors to call her, never reciprocates discourtesy. She is a practicing Buddhist who refuses to hate those who hate her because, she says, she cannot fear what she doesn’t hate. In a statement she had smuggled to the press, she explained her steady, almost cheerful resistance to the regime’s attempts to frighten her. “It is not power that corrupts but fear,” she wrote. “Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” She remained unmoved. (One must never mistake her good manners and delicate beauty for a lack of will and strength.) She was willing, as always, to show her persecutors every courtesy and to entertain a polite willingness to consider their concerns as they discussed the future of their country. “Confrontation,” she told a Time magazine reporter, “comes about because there is no other way to settle differences. If there is a channel open for settling differences, there should be no need for confrontation.” And when she was asked how cruelly she had been treated by the regime, she responded, “I have never been treated cruelly.” But the regime, the bullies who are destroying the country and are so afraid of this one small woman and her implacable determination, would not acquiesce to any plan that might result in their long-overdue loss of power. Recently, reports have surfaced that the tyrants are again considering the release of Burma’s national heroine. Perhaps they will soon knock at the door of her home again. I have no doubt that when they do she will receive them with perfect courtesy, not that they deserve it. But she does not extend her courtesy as a sign of respect for them or their power, but to show, yet again, that they cannot make her become the only type of person they understand, one of the fearful or one of the fearsome. She is merely, steadfastly, reaching out to beauty to banish ugliness from her sight and the lives of her countrymen.

Daily Devotions

·         Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Reparations for offenses and blasphemies against God the Sacred Heart of Jesus

·         Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

·         Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

·         Drops of Christ’s Blood

·         Universal Man Plan

·         Rosary



[3]https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-eucharistic-miracle-inspired-the-feast-of-corpus-christi/

[4] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896

[5]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/sauntering-day/

[7] McCain, John and Salter, Mark. (2005) Character is destiny. Random House, New York

[9] Venerable Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God: Complete Edition Containing all Four Volumes with Illustrations (p. 770). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition

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