Vinny’s Corner
· July 5-July 27 Tour de France[6]
Celebrate France’s biggest sporting event this month — the Tour de France. The official kick-off takes place on the island of Corsica then crosses onto France’s mainland. Cruise the French countryside as you follow the grand event. Or if you can’t make it abroad, head to one of America’s top bicycling cities.
· Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
· Let Freedom Ring Day 20 Freedom from Lack of Trust in God's Providence
· Bucket Item trip: Luberon Hill, France
o Bucket List-Take an Alaskan Cruise
· Foodie Veau Marengo
· Spirit hour: St. Anne Swizzle
Introduction to Titus
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From a Catholic perspective, the Letter to Titus offers subtle but profound lessons on fear—not by naming it directly, but by showing how grace, sound teaching, and virtuous living displace fear’s grip. Here’s how it unfolds:
🌿 Fear Transformed by Grace
(Titus 2:11–14)
·
Paul writes that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation to all”—a grace that trains us to reject ungodliness and live
with self-control, uprightness, and devotion.
·
This grace doesn’t just comfort—it reorients fear. Instead of
fearing punishment or chaos, believers are invited to live in hope, awaiting
Christ’s return with confidence.
·
Catholic teaching sees grace as a transformative gift: it doesn’t
erase fear but sanctifies it, turning it into reverent awe before God rather
than anxious dread.
🛡️ Sound Doctrine as a
Shield Against Fear (Titus 1:9; 2:1)
·
Paul urges Titus to teach “sound doctrine” and to appoint
leaders who can “refute opponents” with truth.
·
In Catholic thought, doctrinal clarity dispels fear born of
confusion or false teaching. When the faithful are grounded in truth, they’re
less vulnerable to spiritual anxiety or manipulation.
·
Fear often thrives in ambiguity—Paul’s remedy is formation rooted
in Christ.
🕊️ Virtue Over Vice: The
Fearless Christian Life (Titus 3:1–7)
·
Paul contrasts the old life of foolishness, disobedience, and
malice with the new life of mercy, renewal, and peace.
·
Catholics see this as a call to moral courage: fear is overcome
not by bravado, but by living virtuously in the Spirit.
·
The sacramental life—especially Baptism and the
Eucharist—reinforces this transformation, reminding us we are no longer slaves
to fear but heirs of hope.
🔥 Leadership and Witness:
Fearless in Mission (Titus 2:7–8)
·
Titus is told to be a model of integrity and dignity so that “the
opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”
·
Catholic leaders, lay and ordained, are called to witness boldly,
not fearfully. Their example helps others live with confidence in faith.
In short,
Titus doesn’t offer a treatise on fear—it offers a blueprint for living beyond
it. Grace, truth, virtue, and hope form the spiritual architecture that
replaces fear with trust in God.
Introduction to Two Timothy
From a Catholic perspective, the Second Letter to
Timothy offers some of the most direct and empowering lessons on fear in all of
Scripture. Written by Paul from prison, facing martyrdom, it’s a spiritual
father’s final encouragement to his son in faith—and it’s saturated with
courage, conviction, and clarity.
🔥 2
Timothy 1:7 — The Heart of the Message
“For God
did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”
This verse is foundational. Catholic teaching sees
this not just as a motivational line, but as a theological truth:
·
Fear is not from God. The Holy Spirit imparts dunamis
(power), agape (love), and sophronismos (self-control or sound
mind).
·
These gifts are cultivated through the sacramental
life—especially Confirmation, which strengthens the believer to witness boldly.
🛡️ Fear and
Apostolic Mission
Paul urges Timothy to “not be ashamed of the
testimony about our Lord” (2 Tim 1:8). In Catholic thought:
·
Fear often tempts us to silence or compromise. Paul
counters this with a call to bold witness, even in suffering.
·
The Church sees this as a model for evangelization:
proclaiming Christ with courage, especially when it’s unpopular or dangerous.
🕊️
Suffering as a Path to Holiness
Paul speaks openly of his chains and impending death
(2 Tim 4:6–8). Catholics interpret this as:
·
A reminder that fear of suffering must be
transformed into trust in God’s providence.
·
Martyrdom and redemptive suffering are not to be
feared, but embraced as participation in Christ’s Passion.
📖
Scripture and Formation
Paul tells Timothy that “all Scripture is
inspired by God” and useful for teaching (2 Tim 3:16–17).
·
Fear often arises from confusion or spiritual
immaturity. Catholic tradition emphasizes formation through Scripture and
Tradition to ground the faithful in truth.
·
A well-formed conscience, shaped by the Word and the
Church, is less susceptible to fear-driven decisions.
🧭 Final
Charge: Faithfulness Over Fear
Paul’s final words—“I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7)—are a Catholic
rallying cry:
·
The goal is not a life free of fear, but a life
faithful in spite of it.
·
The “crown of righteousness” (2 Tim 4:8) is promised
to those who persevere, not those who never tremble.
Introduction to the Gospel of Luke[1]
The Gospel
according to Luke illustrates God’s
dealings with humanity found in the Old Testament, showing how God’s promises to Israel have been
fulfilled in Jesus and how the salvation promised to Israel and accomplished by
Jesus has been extended to the Gentiles. The stated purpose is to provide
Theophilus and others like him with certainty—assurance—about earlier instruction they have
received. To accomplish his purpose, Luke shows that the preaching and teaching
of the representatives of the early church are grounded in the preaching and
teaching of Jesus, who during his historical ministry prepared his specially chosen
followers and commissioned them to be witnesses to his resurrection and to all
else that he did. This continuity between the historical ministry of Jesus and
the ministry of the apostles is Luke’s
way of guaranteeing the fidelity of the Church’s teaching to the teaching of
Jesus. Luke’s story
of Jesus and the church is dominated by a historical perspective. This history
is first of all salvation history. God’s
divine plan for human salvation was accomplished during the period of Jesus,
who through the events of his life fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, and
this salvation is now extended to all humanity in the period of the church.
This salvation history, moreover, is a part of human history. Luke relates the
story of Jesus and the church to events in contemporary Palestinian and Roman
history for, as Paul says, “this
was not done in a corner.”
Luke is concerned with presenting Christianity as a legitimate form of worship
in the Roman world, a religion that is capable of meeting the spiritual needs
of a world empire like that of Rome. To this end, Luke depicts the Roman
governor Pilate declaring Jesus innocent of any wrongdoing three times. At the
same time Luke argues in Acts that Christianity is the logical development and
proper fulfillment of Judaism and is therefore deserving of the same toleration
and freedom traditionally accorded Judaism by Rome.
The prominence given to
the period of the church in the story has important consequences for Luke’s interpretation of the teachings
of Jesus. By presenting the time of the church as a distinct phase of salvation
history, Luke accordingly shifts the early Christian emphasis away from the
expectation of an imminent parousia to the day-to-day concerns of the Christian
community in the world. He does this in the gospel by regularly emphasizing the
words “each day”
in the sayings of
Jesus. Although Luke still believes the parousia to be a reality that will come
unexpectedly, he is more concerned with presenting the words and deeds of Jesus
as guides for the conduct of Christian disciples in the interim period between
the ascension and the parousia and with presenting Jesus himself as the model
of Christian life and piety. Throughout the gospel, Luke calls upon the
Christian disciple to identify with the master Jesus, who is caring and tender
toward the poor and lowly, the outcast, the sinner, and the afflicted, toward
all those who recognize their dependence on God, but who is severe toward the
proud and self-righteous, and particularly toward those who place their
material wealth before the service of God and his people. No gospel writer is
more concerned than Luke with the mercy and compassion of Jesus. No gospel
writer is more concerned with the role of the Spirit in the life of Jesus and
the Christian disciple, with the importance of prayer, or with Jesus’ concern for women. While Jesus
calls all humanity to repent, he is particularly demanding of those who would
be his disciples. Of them he demands absolute and total detachment from family
and material possessions. To all who respond in faith and repentance to the
word Jesus preaches, he brings salvation and peace and life.
Early Christian tradition,
from the late second century on, identifies the author of this gospel and of
the Acts of the Apostles as Luke, a Syrian from Antioch. The prologue of the
gospel makes it clear that Luke is not part of the first generation of Christian
disciples but is himself dependent upon the traditions he received from those
who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.
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From a Catholic perspective, the
Gospel of Luke offers a rich tapestry of lessons on fear—how it manifests, how
it’s transformed, and how it ultimately leads to deeper faith. Luke doesn’t shy
away from fear; instead, he weaves it into moments of divine encounter, awe,
and surrender. Here are some key insights:
🌟 Fear as a Response to Divine
Presence
·
In
Luke, fear often accompanies encounters with the divine—Zechariah in the
temple (Luke 1:12), the shepherds at the Nativity (Luke 2:9), and the disciples
during miracles.
o
Catholic
tradition sees this as holy fear, a reverent awe before God’s majesty.
It’s not terror, but a recognition of divine transcendence.
§ The angel’s repeated message—“Do
not be afraid”—signals that God’s presence is not meant to paralyze but to
invite trust.
🕊️ Mary’s Fearless Fiat (Luke
1:26–38)
·
Mary’s
response to Gabriel is a model of faith over fear. Though “troubled” at
his greeting, she listens, discerns, and ultimately says “Let it be done to
me.”
o
Catholics
see this as a template for vocational courage: fear is natural, but
grace empowers surrender.
§ Her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55)
praises God’s mercy toward those who “fear Him”—a fear rooted in humility and
love.
🌊 Fear and Faith in the Storm (Luke
8:22–25)
·
When
the disciples panic during the storm, Jesus calms the waves and asks, “Where
is your faith?”
o
Catholic
interpretation: fear reveals our limits, but Christ’s presence reframes fear
as an invitation to deeper trust.
§ This scene is often paired with
reflections on Baptism—passing through water into new life, even when the waves
rise.
🧎 Awe and Fear in Healing Miracles
·
After
Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8:49–56), the crowd is “amazed.” After
healing the paralytic (Luke 5:26), they are “filled with awe.”
o
Catholic
theology sees these moments as epiphanies—fear gives way to wonder, and
wonder leads to worship.
§ Fear isn’t the end—it’s the
threshold to recognizing God’s power and mercy.
🌿 Gethsemane and the Fear of
Suffering (Luke 22:39–46)
·
Luke
uniquely notes that Jesus “sweat like drops of blood”—a vivid image of
emotional agony.
o
Catholics
reflect on this as Christ’s solidarity with human fear. He doesn’t
bypass suffering; He transforms it through obedience.
§ The angel who strengthens Him
reminds us that grace meets us in fear, not after it.
🔥 Fear of Judgment and the Call to
Conversion
·
Luke’s
parables (e.g., the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16) evoke fear of eternal
separation—but not to condemn.
o
Catholic
teaching uses this fear as salutary—a wake-up call to repentance, not
despair.
§ The goal is not fear for fear’s
sake, but conversion through mercy.
In Luke, fear is never
dismissed—it’s dignified, redirected, and ultimately sanctified. It’s the
trembling before the mystery of God that becomes the doorway to peace.
JULY 26 Saturday-Feast of Saint Ann
Luke, Chapter 1,
verse 10-12
10 Then,
when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the
incense offering, 11the
angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of
incense. 12Zechariah was
troubled by what he saw, and FEAR came upon him.
Zechariah
was troubled, and he was afraid. I do not think this was Holy fear for
Zechariah’s faith did not equal his fear and he was filled with unbelief.
His intellect outweighed his heart and as a result he was left unable to speak
until the birth of his son as the angel told him. That son was John the
Baptist. There are times when we must listen to our hearts and not our heads.
Copilot
Zechariah wasn’t just startled; he was shaken
to his core, and his response wasn’t reverence but resistance. In that moment,
fear didn’t deepen his faith—it disrupted it.
From a Catholic lens, the episode invites us
to examine the interplay between intellect and trust, between rational
skepticism and heartfelt surrender:
🧠 The Intellect That Questions
- Zechariah’s
response—“How shall I know this?”—echoes a very human impulse:
demanding proof before belief.
- Catholic
tradition doesn’t dismiss reason but warns when it dominates to the
exclusion of grace. Faith isn’t anti-intellectual; it’s
supra-intellectual—it goes beyond where reason stops.
💔 Fear Rooted in Unbelief
- Unlike Mary’s
question in Luke (“How can this be?”), Zechariah’s challenge comes with
doubt, not wonder.
- His fear
becomes a barrier, not a bridge. Catholic thought often calls this
servile fear—a fear of punishment or impossibility that lacks love and
trust.
🤐 Silence as Mercy
- His muteness
isn’t just punishment—it’s formation. In Catholic spiritual practice,
silence is fertile ground for conversion.
- That
imposed silence gave Zechariah space to shift from skepticism to
surrender. By John’s birth, his praise bursts forth—“His name is
John.” The transformation is complete.
❤️
Listening to the Heart
We must listen to our hearts and not our
heads. And Catholic spirituality affirms this—faith begins when we stop
grasping for control and start receiving grace as gift.
Feast of Saint Ann,
Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary[2]
ALL that we know of St. Ann is that she was married to St.
Joachim of the tribe of David, and lived with him in all virtue and piety, but
for a long time was childless. This she bore with all patience, till at last
the Lord heard her supplications, and made her the mother of the most blessed
Virgin. This distinction on the part of God is praise enough for her. On this
account the faithful have always shown great veneration for her, and
continually invoke her intercession. “Let us all rejoice in the Lord, keeping
festival in honor of St. Ann, on whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and with
one voice praise the Son of God. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my
works to the King.”
Prayer.
O God, Who wast pleased
to confer upon St. Ann the grace whereby she became the mother of her who
brought forth Thine only-begotten Son, mercifully grant that we, who keep her
festival, may, through her intercession, find help with Thee.
Aspiration to St.
Ann.
Hail, O blessed
mother Ann! Blessed art thou, who, for our consolation, didst bear the Mother
of our Redeemer. With the greatest veneration, therefore, and full of
confidence, we approach thee, beseeching thee that thou wouldst supplicate our
divine Savior to bestow upon us the graces which we need to follow thy ardent
devotion, thy fear of God, and to render us worthy one day to behold in heaven
the blessed fruit of thy virgin daughter’s womb, Jesus, and to rejoice forever
in the contemplation of Him.
The
Mysterious Relics of Saint Anne[3]
On Easter AD 792,
Charlemagne discovered the relics of Saint Anne. Below is the account,
preserved in the correspondence of Pope Saint Leo III, concerning the
mysterious discovery of the relics of Saint Anne.
Fourteen years after Our
Lord’s death, Saint Mary Magdalen, Saint Martha, Saint Lazarus, and the others
of the little band of Christians who were piled into a boat without sails or
oars and pushed out to sea to perish — in the persecution of the Christians by
the Jews of Jerusalem — were careful to carry with them the tenderly loved body
of Our Lady’s mother. They feared lest it be profaned in the destruction, which
Jesus had told them was to come upon Jerusalem.
When, by the power of God,
their boat survived and finally drifted to the shores of France, the little
company of saints buried Saint Anne’s body in a cave, in a place called Apt, in
the south of France.
The church, which was
later built over the spot, fell into decay because of wars and religious
persecutions, and as the centuries passed, the place of Saint Anne’s tomb was
forgotten.
The long years of peace,
which Charlemagne’s wise rule gave to southern France, enabled the people to
build a magnificent new church on the site of the old chapel at Apt.
Extraordinary and painstaking labor went into the building of the great
structure, and when the day of its consecration arrived, the beloved
Charlemagne, little suspecting what was in store for him, declared himself
happy indeed to have journeyed so many miles to be present for the holy
occasion. At the most solemn part of the ceremonies, a boy of fourteen, blind,
deaf and dumb from birth — and usually quiet and impassive — to the amazement
of those who knew him, completely distracted the attention of the entire
congregation by becoming suddenly tremendously excited. He rose from his seat,
walked up the aisle to the altar steps, and to the consternation of the whole
church, struck his stick resoundingly again and again upon a single step. His
embarrassed family tried to lead him out, but he would not budge. He continued
frantically to pound the step, straining with his poor muted senses to impart a
knowledge sealed hopelessly within him.
The eyes of the people
turned upon the emperor, and he, apparently inspired by God, took the matter
into his own hands. He called for workmen to remove the steps. A subterranean
passage was revealed directly below the spot, which the boy’s stick had indicated.
Into this passage the blind lad jumped, to be followed by the emperor, the
priests, and the workmen. They made their way in the dim light of candles, and
when, farther along the passage, they came upon a wall that blocked further
advance, the boy signed that this also should be removed. When the wall fell,
there was brought to view still another long, dark corridor. At the end of
this, the searchers found a crypt, upon which, to their profound wonderment, a
vigil lamp, alight and burning in a little walled recess, cast a heavenly
radiance. As Charlemagne and his afflicted small guide, with their companions,
stood before the lamp, its light went out. And at the same moment, the boy,
blind and deaf and dumb from birth, felt sight and hearing and speech flood
into his young eyes, his ears, and his tongue.
“It is she! It is she!” he
cried out. The great emperor, not knowing what he meant, nevertheless repeated
the words after him. The call was taken up by the crowds in the church above,
as the people sank to their knees, bowed in the realization of the presence of
something celestial and holy. The crypt at last was opened, and a casket was
found within it. In the casket was a winding sheet, and in the sheet were
relics, and upon the relics was an inscription that read, “Here lies the body
of Saint Anne, mother of the glorious Virgin Mary.” The winding sheet, it was
noted, was of eastern design and texture. Charlemagne, overwhelmed, venerated
with profound gratitude the relics of the mother of Heaven’s Queen.
Things to
Do[4]
·
See more about the Shrine
of Sainte Anne de Beaupré in Quebec, Canada. Several relics of St. Anne are also located in this shrine. Take a
video tour of the Shrine here accompanied by beautiful Gregorian chant.
·
Foods related to St. Ann and Joachim: It
seems shellfish, particularly lobster, is one traditional type of food served
in France for this feast day.
o Catholic
Recipe: Langouste a la Creme (Lobster with Cream)
The
Modern Church Also Honors Saint Joachim on this day.[5]
St. Joachim, the father of the Blessed Virgin, was a native of Nazareth,
a little town in Galilee. His parents, though occupying a humble position in
the world, were descendants of the holy king David. It was not without
inspiration that, at his circumcision, the name of Joachim was given him; it
means “Preparation for the Lord,” or, as others translate it, a preparation for
the arrival of the Lord. It has been understood by many to signify that he
would have a daughter whom he would prepare, by a holy education, to be the
mother of Our Lord. Arriving at the years of manhood, he married Anna, a
virtuous and chaste maiden of Bethlehem, whom, without doubt, God gave special
graces, as she was chosen by Him to be the mother of the Queen of Heaven.
Joachim and Anna continued, after their union, to serve God with the greatest
fidelity. The most perfect charity and harmony reigned in their dwelling. They
had divided their possessions into three parts.
The first they devoted exclusively to the honor of God and to the
adornment of the Temple; the second, to the poor; and the third they kept for
themselves. One thing saddened the lives of Joachim and Anna. They had been
married many years without being blessed with a child, and their advancing age
made them despair of ever having one. Barrenness was considered a great
disgrace and Joachim lived under that cross for many years. He never ceased to
implore God with tears, prayers, and fasts to remove it from him; but it seemed
that he was not heard, which gave him great grief. He, however, never murmured
against the Almighty, but, submitting to His will, continued his prayer. It is
also believed that he and his spouse made a vow that, if they were blessed with
a child, they would consecrate it to His service. St. Epiphanius relates that,
one day, while St. Joachim was praying, an angel appeared to him and assured
him that God had heard his prayer, and that a daughter should be given him, who
would become the mother of the promised Messiah. The angel informed him also of
the name which God had destined for her. When he heard this, the joy of St.
Joachim was beyond all description. He went immediately to tell his spouse of
it, who, according to some authors, had received the same revelation. Both gave
fervent thanks to the Almighty and praised His mercy. The angel’s prophecy was
fulfilled, and St. Anna gave birth to a daughter, who was born free from the
stain of original sin, full of the Holy Spirit, blessed above all women, and
destined by heaven to be the mother of the only begotten Son of God. St.
Joachim, renewing his thanks to the Almighty, redoubled his zeal in His
service. As soon as the lawful time arrived, St. Joachim and his holy spouse
carried their new-born child into the temple and offered her with great
devotion to God, redeemed her again according to the custom, and returned with
her to their home. Three years they kept their daughter with them, after which
they brought the tender child, who was, however, gifted with the full use of
mind, into the Temple of Jerusalem, and having consecrated her, with the usual
ceremonies, to the service of the Almighty, gave her in charge of the priests
for education and instruction. In this manner, St. Joachim fulfilled his vow
and showed how truly he loved God. For although his love for his daughter, no
doubt, surpassed the love of most parents for their children, yet he deprived
himself of that which was most dear to him on earth and consecrated it to the
Most High. It cannot be doubted that God rewarded his self-sacrificing love
with great graces and favors. After having made this sacrifice to the Almighty,
Joachim and Anna lived for many years in great sanctity. It is believed that
St. Joachim expired in the eightieth year of his age.
Bible in a Year-Day 38
Fr. Mike explains the meaning of a covenant with God, and how The Ten
Commandments strengthen this relationship. Today's readings are Exodus 19-20,
Leviticus 13, and Psalm 74.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Growth
of Catholic Families and Households
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: July
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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