Vinny’s Corner
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverb 31:30
· Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
· Foodie National Panini Month
o Bigos
· Spirit hour: Soul Kiss Cocktail With Blood Orange
o Boost Your Immunity with Fermented Garlic Honey
· James Cameron Birthday 1954
o Avatar
§ Titanic
· Today is World Honeybee Day. Here’s a smart tip. If you are going on a trip to another country or some distance, try to get some honey from the area you are going to. It will help you build resistance to the illnesses in the area you are visiting.
Ways to Celebrate and Reflect Spiritually
o Plant a pollinator garden: Lavender, borage, and marjoram are bee favorites. Consider dedicating the garden to St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology.
o Host a honey-themed meal: Try honey-roast duck, honey mustard salmon, or honey cake. Pair with a bourbon tasting or Darjeeling tea for a sensory meditation.
o Reflect on bees as a symbol of community and sacrifice: Like the Body of Christ, each bee plays a role in sustaining the hive. Their selflessness echoes virtues like diligence, humility, and charity.
o Pray for creation: Use Psalm 104 (“You make springs gush forth in the valleys…”) to meditate on God’s providence through pollinators.
· 30 Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger – Nr. 2 Horehound (Marrubium vulgaris or rafanum)
MEDICINAL PLANTS Day 2-Revealed by Heaven to Luz De María
RAW GARLIC Bactericide effect. Useful in disease prevention. High Vitamin C content. Contributes to the correct functioning of the thyroid gland, favoring the basic metabolism. Garlic has the following properties: Strengthens immune system. Preventive effect on diseases. Antihistaminic properties. Increases hemoglobin production. Contributes to growth and repair of body tissue. Vitamin C has the following properties: Known as: Ascorbic Acid
GINGER Scientific name: Echinacea purpurea Family: Asteraceae Reinforces immune system. Maintains the defenses of the organism. Fights intestinal bactericide infections. Expectorant and antibiotic.
As mother, I ask you observe, as part of your diet for life, the daily need to ingest VITAMIN C, to ingest raw garlic or ginger daily. Blessed Virgin Mary, 03.12.2017
· Bucket Item trip: Kraków, Poland – Divine Mercy & John Paul II.
o This is a spiritually rich week, perfectly timed. August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption, and August 16 is the feast day of St. Stephen of Hungary, a saint deeply connected to Central European Catholic identity—making Kraków a fitting location.
o In Kraków, you can immerse yourself in:
§ 🕊️ Divine Mercy Sanctuary – Home of St. Faustina’s revelations
§ 🧳 John Paul II Center – Pilgrimage site honoring his legacy
§ 🏰 Wawel Cathedral – Burial site of Polish kings and saints
§ 🖼️ Cultural pairings – Pierogi, Polish hymns, and Vistula River walks
A Prayer Before Mass (Saturday) (by Saint Ambrose)
I entreat Thee also, O Lord, by this most holy mystery of Thy Body and Blood, wherewith we are daily fed, and cleansed, and sanctified in Thy Church, and are made partakers of the one Supreme Divinity, grant unto me Thy holy virtues, that filled therewith I may with a good conscience draw near unto Thy holy Altar, so that these heavenly mysteries may be made unto me salvation and life; for Thou hast said with Thy holy and blessed lips: The Bread which I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world. I am the living Bread which came down from heaven. If any man eats of this Bread, he shall live forever. O most sweet Bread, heal the palate of my heart, that I may taste the sweetness of Thy love. Heal it of all infirmities, that I may find sweetness in nothing out of Thee. O most pure Bread, having all delight and all savor, which ever refreshest us, and never failest, let my heart feed on Thee, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor. The Angels feed on Thee fully; let pilgrim man feed on Thee after his measure, so that, refreshed by this nourishment, he may not faint by the way. Holy Bread! Living Bread! Pure Bread! Who didst come down from heaven, and who givest life to the world, enter into my heart and cleanse me from all impurity of flesh and spirit. Come into my soul; heal and cleanse me within and without; be the protection and continual health of my soul and body. Drive far from me all foes that lie in wait: let them flee afar off at the presence of Thy power; that, strengthened by Thee without and within, I may by a straight way arrive at Thy kingdom, where, not as now in mysteries, but face to face, we shall behold Thee; when Thou shalt have delivered up the kingdom to God Thy Father, and shalt be God All in all. Then shalt Thou satisfy me with Thyself by a wondrous fullness, so that I shall never hunger nor thirst any more forever. Who with the same God the Father, and the Holy Ghost, ever livest and reignest world without end.
Amen.
FEAST
OF ST. JOACHIM-St. Stephen Of Hungary-Rum Day
Joshua, Chapter 24, Verse 14
Now, therefore, FEAR the LORD and serve him completely
and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served beyond the river and in
Egypt and serve the LORD.
Joshua
was telling the Israelites that it was a day for decision-making, a day for
clarifying what they worship and to what they will give their ultimate
allegiance.
In a sermon by Rev.
Margaret Bullitt-Jonas she states:
“Put away the gods that
your ancestors served...” Joshua declares. Doing that requires an act of
self-examination.
·
What
are the gods that I serve?
·
What
does my bank statement or my credit card statement say about my values?
·
What
does the way I spend my free time say about what matters most to me?
·
How
does the way that I treat family-members and co-workers, neighbors and friends
show which gods I serve?
·
To
what do I give my best, most focused attention and care?
·
What
do I Really care about?
·
What
motives really drive me?
·
What
goals really draw me forward?
·
Are
there compulsive patterns of thought or behavior to which I am excessively
attached?
You and I can go to
church and say very sincerely that we worship God, but in the hurly-burly of
daily life there are all kinds of lesser gods that tug at us and clamor for our
attention and our devotion.[1]
Blessed are the poor
in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. (Mt. 5:3)
Copilot
This passage from Joshua 24:14,
paired with Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas’s sermon, opens a profound invitation
to spiritual honesty and discernment. It’s not just a call to reject idolatry
in the ancient sense—it’s a summons to examine the subtle allegiances of our
hearts in the modern world.
🔍 A Day of Decision: Joshua’s Call
to Clarity
Joshua’s exhortation is not
gentle—it’s urgent. He stands before the people at Shechem, pressing them to
choose whom they will serve. The context is rich:
·
“Fear
the LORD”: Not
terror, but awe, reverence, and surrender.
·
“Serve
him completely and sincerely”:
No half-measures, no divided loyalties.
·
“Cast
out the gods your ancestors served”:
A radical break from inherited patterns, cultural norms, and internalized
idols.
This is a moment of covenant
renewal, but also of personal reckoning.
🧠 Self-Examination: The Modern Idols
We Serve
Rev. Bullitt-Jonas’s questions
pierce through the veneer of religious routine and ask us to confront the gods
we serve in practice, not just in theory. Here’s how her reflection might be
expanded:
|
Question |
Underlying Idol |
Spiritual Counterpoint |
|
What do my financial habits say about me? |
Materialism, security, status |
Generosity, trust in providence |
|
How do I spend my free time? |
Entertainment, distraction, self-indulgence |
Rest, renewal, service |
|
How do I treat others? |
Control, ego, indifference |
Compassion, humility, presence |
|
What gets my best attention? |
Productivity, ambition, perfectionism |
Worship, love, contemplation |
|
What do I really care about? |
Reputation, success, comfort |
Justice, mercy, truth |
|
What drives me? |
Fear, pride, envy |
Faith, hope, love |
|
What compulsions bind me? |
Addiction, resentment, anxiety |
Freedom in Christ, healing grace |
These “lesser gods” are often socially acceptable, even praised. But they fragment our souls and dilute our devotion.
🌿 The Beatitude Lens: Poverty of
Spirit
Jesus’
words in Matthew 5:3— “Blessed are the poor in spirit”—offer a counter-cultural
vision. Poverty of spirit is not weakness; it’s the gateway to the Kingdom. It
means:
·
Recognizing
our dependence on
God rather than our own strength.
·
Letting
go of self-sufficiency
and the illusion of control.
·
Opening
space for grace to
enter where idols once ruled.
This
beatitude reframes Joshua’s challenge: to cast out false gods is to become poor
in spirit, and thus rich in divine presence.
✨ A Spiritual Practice: Daily Allegiance Check
You
might consider a simple daily examen inspired by this theme:
1. What did I give my best energy to
today?
2. Did I serve God or a lesser god in
my choices?
3. Where did I feel tugged away from
love, truth, or peace?
4. What do I need to release to serve
God more sincerely tomorrow?
-Think
of Joining the Knights of Columbus
·
Bl. Michael McGivney[2]
The eldest son of an immigrant Irish family in
Connecticut, young Michael left school at 13 to work in a brass factory making
spoons. At 16 he began studies for the priesthood in Quebec, but was obliged to
leave to help support the family when his father died. Michael completed his
education in Baltimore, Maryland, and was ordained for the diocese of Hartford
in 1877.
Assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven, Fr. McGivney was very active in parish and civic affairs, serving as director of public plays and fairs. He volunteered to become the guardian of Alfred Downes, a minor whose father had died leaving a large family in poverty. This situation as well as his own family's circumstances and that of other immigrants impressed on Fr. McGivney the need for lay Catholic men to establish a mutual aid society to provide financial assistance for their families if the primary wage earner died. Protestant fraternal groups already provided this type of life insurance protection for their members.
In 1882, Fr. McGivney formed the Knights of Columbus
among a small group of St. Mary's parishioners to promote charity, unity, and
fraternity, assisting widows and orphans. Because of the Knights' emphasis on
serving Church, community and family, the organization grew and did not remain
strictly parish-based. Patriotism was added as a founding principle in 1900.
Father McGivney died from pneumonia in 1890 and was
buried in Thomaston, Connecticut. Later his body was moved back to St. Mary’s
in New Haven where it remains today. He was beatified in 2020.
—Excerpted from Franciscan Media
Highlights
and Things to Do:
- Read more about Fr. Michael:
- Learn more about the Knights of
Columbus.
- Read about the miracle for his beatification.
- There is a Blessed
Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in Connecticut.
Feast of
St. Joachim
Today is the
Feast of St. Joachim using the traditional Latin Mass calendar. Upon reflection
with yesterday being the feast of the assumption of Mary that the church would
honor Her earthly father.
(LifeSiteNews) –– From time
immemorial the Greeks have celebrated the feast of St. Joachim on the day
following our Lady’s birthday. The Maronites kept it on the
day after the Presentation in November, and the Armenians on the Tuesday after
the Octave of the Assumption of the Mother of God. The Latins at first did not
keep his feast. Later on it was admitted and celebrated sometimes on the day
after the Octave of the Nativity, September 16th, sometimes on the day
following the conception of the Blessed Virgin, December 9th. Thus both East
and West agreed in associating St. Joachim with his illustrious daughter when
they wished to do him honor.
About the year 1510, Julius II placed the feast
of the grandfather of the Messias upon the Roman Calendar with the rank of
double major; and remembering that family, in which the ties of nature and of
grace were in such perfect harmony, he fixed the solemnity on March 20, the day
after that of his son-in-law, St. Joseph. The life of the glorious patriarch
resembled those of the first fathers of the Hebrew people; and it seemed as
though he were destined to imitate their wanderings also, by continually
changing his place upon the sacred cycle.
Hardly fifty years after the Pontificate of Julius II the critical
spirit of the day cast doubts upon the history of St. Joachim, and his name was
erased from the Roman breviary. Gregory XV, however,
re-established his feast in 1622 as a double, and the Church has since
continued to celebrate it. Devotion to our Lady’s father continuing to increase
very much, the Holy See was petitioned to make his feast a holy day of
obligation, as it had already made that of his spouse, St. Anne. In order to
satisfy the devotion of the people without increasing the number of days of
obligation, Clement XII in 1738
transferred the feast of St. Joachim to the Sunday after the Assumption of his
daughter, the Blessed Virgin, and restored it to the rank of double major.
On the 1st August 1879, the sovereign pontiff, Leo XIII, who received the name
of Joachim in baptism, raised both the feast of his glorious patron and that of
St. Anne to the rank of doubles of the second class.
The following is an extract from the decree Urbi et Orbi,
announcing this final decision with regard to the said feasts: “Ecclesiasticus
teaches us that we ought to praise our fathers in their generation; what great
honor and veneration ought we then to render to St. Joachim and St. Anne, who
begot the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and are on that account more
glorious than all others.”
“By your fruits you are known,” says St. John Damascene, “you have given birth
to a daughter who is greater than the Angels and has become their Queen.” (J. Damasc. Oratio I
de V.M. Nativity) Now since, through the divine mercy, in our unhappy times the
honor and worship paid to the Blessed Virgin is increasing in proportion to the
increasing needs of the Christian people, it is only right that the new glory
which surrounds their blessed daughter should redound upon her happy parents.
May this increase of devotion towards them cause the Church to experience still
more their powerful protection.
MASS
Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up
treasures of gold. (Tobit 12:8) Far better than Tobias, did
Joachim experience the truth of the Archangel’s word. Tradition says that he
divided his income into three parts: one for the Temple, the second for the
poor, and the third for his family. The Church, wishing to honor Mary’s father,
begins by praising this liberality, and also his justice which earned him such
great glory.
He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor: his justice
remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory.
Ps. Blessed is the man that feareth the
Lord: he delighteth exceedingly in his commandments. Glory, etc. He
hath.
Mother of God: such is the title
which exalts Mary above all creatures; but Joachim, too, is ennobled by it; he
alone can be called, for all eternity, Grandfather of Jesus. In
heaven, even more than on earth, nobility and power go hand in hand. Let us
then, with the Church, become humble clients of one so great.
EPISTLE
Lesson from the Book of Ecclesiasticus
31:8-11
Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish: and that
hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. Who is
he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful things in his life. Who
hath been tried thereby, and made perfect, he shall have glory everlasting. He
that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil
things, and hath not done them: Therefore are his goods established in the
Lord, and all the church of the saints shall declare his alms.
Joachim’s wealth, like that of the first patriarchs, consisted
chiefly in flocks and herds. The holy use he made of it drew down God’s
blessing upon it. But the greatest of all his desires heaven seemed to refuse
him. His holy spouse Anne was barren. Amongst all the daughters of Israel
expecting the Messias, there was no hope for her. One day the victims Joachim
presented in the temple were contemptuously rejected. Those were not the gifts
the Lord of the temple desired of him; later on, instead of lambs from his
pastures, he was to present the Mother of the Lamb of God, and his offering
would not be rejected.
This day, however, he was filled with sorrow and fled away without
returning to his wife. He hastened to the mountains where his flocks were at
pasture; and living in a tent, he fasted continually, for he said: “I will take
no food till the Lord my God look mercifully upon me; prayer shall be my
nourishment.”
Meanwhile Anne was mourning her widowhood and her barrenness. She
prayed in her garden as Joachim was praying on the mountain. (Epiphanius,
Oratio de laudibus Virgin) Their prayers ascended at the same time to the Most
High, and he granted them their request. An Angel of the Lord appeared to each
of them and bade them meet at the Golden Gate, and soon Anne could say:
“Now I know that the Lord hath greatly blessed me. For I was a widow and I am
one no longer, and I was barren, and lo! I have conceived!” (Protoevang. Jacobi)
The Gradual again proclaims the merit of alms-giving and the value
God sets upon holiness of life. The descendants of Joachim shall be mighty and
blessed in heaven and upon earth. May he deign to exert his influence with his
all holy daughter, and with his grandson Jesus, for our salvation.
He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor: his justice
remaineth for ever and ever.
℣. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the
mighty shall be blessed. Alleluia, alleluia.
℣. O Joachim, holy spouse of Anne, father of the glorious Virgin,
assist now thy servants unto salvation. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Matthew 1:1-16
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the
son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot
Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares
begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot
Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab.
And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse. And Jesse begot
David the king. And David the king begot Solomon, of her that had been the wife
of Urias. And Solomon begot Roboam. And Roboam begot Abia. And Abia begot Asa.
And Asa begot Josaphat. And Josaphat begot Joram. And Joram begot Ozias. And
Ozias begot Joatham.
And Joatham begot Achaz. And Achaz begot Ezechias. And Ezechias
begot Manasses. And Manasses begot Amon. And Amon begot Josias. And Josias
begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigration of Babylon. And after
the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel. And Salathiel begot
Zorobabel. And Zorobabel begot Abiud. And Abiud begot Eliacim. And Eliacim
begot Azor. And Azor begot Sadoc. And Sadoc begot Achim. And Achim begot Eliud.
And Eliud begot Eleazar. And Eleazar begot Mathan. And Mathan begot Jacob. And
Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ.
“Rejoice, O Joachim, for of thy daughter a Son is born to
us,” (J. Damasc. Oratio I
de V.M. Nativity ex Isaiah 9:6) exclaims St. John
Damascene. It is in this spirit the Church reads today the list of the royal
ancestors of our Savior. Joseph, the descendant of these illustrious princes,
inherited their rights and passed them on to Jesus, who was his Son according to
the Jewish law, though according to nature He was of the line of His virgin
Mother alone.
St. Luke, Mary’s Evangelist, has preserved the names of the direct
ancestors of the Mother of the Man-God, springing from David in the person of
Nathan, Solomon’s brother. Joseph, the son of Jacob according to St. Matthew,
appears in St. Luke as son of Heli. The reason is that by espousing Mary, the
only daughter of Hili or Heliachim, that is Joachim, he became legally his son
and heir.
This is the now generally received explanation of the two
genealogies of Christ the Son of David. It is not surprising that Rome, the
queen city who has become the Bride of the Son of man in the place of the
repudiated Sion, prefers to use in her Liturgy the genealogy which by its long
line of royal ancestors emphasizes the kingship of the spouse over Jerusalem.
The name of Joachim, which signifies “the preparation of the Lord,” is thus
rendered more majestic, without losing aught of its mystical meaning.
He is himself crowned with wonderful glory. Jesus, his Grandson,
gives him to share in his own authority over every creature. In the Offertory
we celebrate St. Joachim’s dignity and power
St. Stephen of Hungary (969-1038). Vaik, son of Geza, Duke of
Hungary, was baptized about 985 by St. Adalbert of Prague who gave him the name
of Stephen. He was chosen by God to bring his people to the Christian faith.
With the assistance of monks from Burgundy, he established bishoprics, founded
several monasteries and re-organized the whole life of the country. Pope
Silvester II offered him the privilege of being crowned king and the ceremony
took place on December 25, 1000. His great zeal for the spread of the Catholic
faith earned him the title of apostolic king and apostle of Hungary. He died on
August 15, 1038, the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, to whom he had
consecrated his kingdom.
Rum
Day[3]
“The only way that I could figure they could improve upon Coca-Cola, one of life’s most delightful elixirs, which studies prove will heal the sick and occasionally raise the dead, is to put rum or bourbon in it.” ~ Lewis Grizzard
Rum is a fantastic drink, one that has
served as the stuff of legends for pirates of every walk of life. Rum also
appears in everything from dinners to desserts, with rum balls being one of our
particular favorites. Of course, as the great Lewis Grizzard said, it also is
an amazing mixer, and one of the only ones capable of improving Coca-Cola. So,
we all know that pirates like rum and that rum is an alcoholic beverage but
many of us are less than clear on what, exactly, makes rum RUM. Let’s start
with the basics, shall we? Rum is a distilled alcohol, specifically distilled
from byproducts of sugarcane. Some varieties are made from molasses, others
from sugarcane juice but all rum, when its finished being distilled, is clear.
The color you see in rum is from additives or seasonings and are not in any way
a bad thing. Rum first was created in the Caribbean after it was discovered
that molasses could be fermented into alcohol. Ironically, it was the slaves
who made this discovery, but it was the Colonials who discovered how to distil
it into true rum. So important did rum become in the years to follow that it
played a major role in the political system of the colonies. How? By being
offered as a bribe to those the candidates wished to curry favor with. The
people thus coerced were no fools, however. They would attend multiple hustings
to determine which of their patrons might provide them with the largest
quantity of rum. Thus, it can be fairly said that rum was of such note that it
literally decided elections.
How to Celebrate Rum Day
Yo ho ho matey! The best way to
celebrate Rum Day is to indulge in this most ignoble and distinguished of
drinks. A contradiction? Not at all! Rum has long had a reputation for being
the devil’s drink by dint of the ease of production, the delicious flavor, and
the powerful kick it carried. Rum Day is your James Cameronto sample as many
varieties as you like and decide which one will be coming aboard your vessel
for the next pillage.
Bible in a Year Day 59 Obligations to God
As we read Numbers 8-9, Deuteronomy 8, and Psalm 93, Fr. Mike reflects on how
the Israelites were expected to celebrate Passover in all circumstances,
learned to trust that God would lead them to where they needed to go, and
needed to remember God in times of abundance as well as darkness.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: For
the Poor and Suffering
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: August
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Go to MASS
·
Rosary
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