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| Sat, Sep 20 | Ember Saturday – Vocation | Wild Turkey 101 + My Father La Opulencia | “Where is my vocation quietly unfolding?” |
Where Is My Vocation Quietly Unfolding?
Not every calling arrives with fanfare. Some vocations whisper. They unfold slowly, like dawn over a quiet hillside—unnoticed at first, until the light reveals what’s been growing all along.
We often imagine vocation as a singular moment of clarity: a job offer, a mission trip, a dramatic pivot. But more often, it’s a rhythm. A pattern of small choices, gentle nudges, and quiet affirmations. It’s in the way we prepare a meal, listen deeply, or tend to a space with care. It’s in the questions we keep asking, and the peace we feel when something just fits.
Vocation is not always about what we do—it’s about how we live. It’s the intersection of our gifts, our presence, and the needs of the world around us. And sometimes, it unfolds in places we didn’t expect:
- In the garden we tend after work.
- In the conversations that linger long after the guests have gone.
- In the rituals we create to mark time, grief, joy, and hope.
Here’s a reflection for Day 4 – Principle 4 of The 5000 Year Leap:
🕊️ Reflection
The Founders didn’t advocate for a theocracy, but they did believe that religion—especially its moral teachings—was essential to sustaining liberty. They saw religion as the wellspring of virtue, and virtue as the foundation of self-government. Without a shared moral compass, laws become hollow, and freedom erodes into license.
John Adams wrote:
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
This principle isn’t about enforcing belief—it’s about recognizing that the moral habits shaped by religious life (honesty, self-restraint, compassion, duty) are what make freedom sustainable.
📜 Journal Prompt
“How does my spiritual practice shape the way I steward freedom—in my home, my community, and my country?”
Vinny’s Corner
· How to celebrate Sep 20th
o Start your day by making a batch of delicious fried rice for breakfast, incorporating a variety of colorful vegetables and protein of your choice.
§ For lunch, order or make your favorite pepperoni pizza and enjoy it with friends or family.
§ Take some time in the afternoon to appreciate the hardworking tradesmen in your community by thanking them or supporting their businesses.
o As the day progresses, sample a glass of Grenache wine to celebrate International Grenache Day, pairing it with some tasty cheese or charcuterie.
§ Later on, indulge in a bowl of warm and cheesy queso dip for a flavorful snack. Take a moment to savor some fresh raspberries for dessert, appreciating their sweetness and vibrant color.
o Raise awareness for concussion safety by familiarizing yourself with the signs and symptoms. Wind down the day by finishing work early at 4pm, giving yourself some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Spend quality time with children, emphasizing care and support on National Care For Kids Day.
o For dinner, whip up a delicious batch of paella, a traditional Spanish dish packed with flavor and a variety of ingredients. Sip on a refreshing punch while enjoying some string cheese as a light evening treat. Reflect on the diverse array of celebrations throughout the day and appreciate the simple joys each holiday brings.
Vigil Of St Matthew-103 Korean Martyrs
John, Chapter 9, Verse 22
His parents said this because they were AFRAID of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue.
Copilot’s Take
🕯️ Expelled
from the Synagogue?
Ember Saturday – Vigil of St. Matthew
– 103 Korean Martyrs
John 9:22 – “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews…”
On this Ember Saturday, as the Church
pauses to reflect, fast, and recalibrate with the rhythms of creation and
grace, I find myself contemplating a different kind of pruning—one not of
vines, but of voices.
Recently, two of my books were
quietly suppressed by Createspace. No explanation. No appeal. Just gone. Not
for sale. It felt eerily familiar. Like being expelled from the synagogue.
In John 9, Jesus heals a man born
blind. The miracle is undeniable, yet the religious authorities are unsettled.
They interrogate the man’s parents, who respond with caution—not because they
doubt the healing, but because they fear the consequences. “If anyone
acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue.” That
fear was real. Expulsion meant social death, spiritual exile, and economic
vulnerability. It was worse than being defriended on Facebook—it was being
erased from the communal memory.
The synagogue, like the academy,
preserved Jewish identity in the Diaspora. It was the heartbeat of worship,
learning, and belonging. To be cast out was to become a leper in spirit—alive,
but untouchable.
And yet, what does Jesus do?
“When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him…” (John 9:35)
He found him. Not in the
synagogue. Not in the academy. But in the margins. In the silence. In the place
of rejection. And there, Jesus reveals himself more intimately than ever
before:
“You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.”
“I do believe, Lord,” the man replies. And he worships.
🌾 Ember
Saturday and the Korean Martyrs
This day also commemorates the 103
Korean Martyrs—laypeople and clergy who refused to renounce Christ despite
brutal persecution. Their witness reminds us that truth often flourishes in
hidden soil. In the vineyard of suffering, the fruit is eternal.
Ember Days call us to examine what
needs pruning. What fears keep us from proclaiming truth? What
institutions—religious, academic, digital—have blinded us to the light of
Christ?
🕍 Yom
Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles
In the Jewish calendar, this season
echoes with themes of atonement and dwelling. Yom Kippur calls for repentance.
The Feast of Tabernacles invites us to live in tents—to remember that our true
dwelling is with God, not in the approval of institutions.
✨ Be
Not Afraid
So I ask:
Do you belong to any human organizations that have blinded you to the truth?
Are you afraid of being expelled if you truly believed?
Walk into the light of Christ.
Be not afraid.
Even if you’ve been cast out, you’ve not been forgotten.
You’ve been found.
Ember Saturday of September-Commemoration of Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles (both of
which occur in the Jewish calendar around this time), two important
foreshadowing’s of the Christ event.[1] The
church reminds us of the profound importance of total conversion.
Meditation: Ember Saturday, A Day for expiation and
thanksgiving! This excerpt from Pius Parsch is based on the 1962 Missal. The
current Missal does not include special propers and readings for Ember Days.
1.
Holy Mass (Venite). Ember Saturday is the official thanksgiving day for all the
blessings of the past quarter-year. Especially in autumn when we garner the
fruits of nature should we be more conscious of God’s Providence both in the
temporal and spiritual orders. In ancient times today’s Mass served as a
thanksgiving sacrifice and as a renewals of the Christian covenant with God.
The text presumes that the Ember days are the Christian counterpart to the Old
Testament feasts of Atonement and Tabernacles, highlighting penance and and
gratitude respectively. The liturgical celebration, observed during the night
between Saturday and Sunday and of obligation for all the faithful, was
unusually festive. The faithful gathered at St. Peter’s for an entrance song
the Invitatory (Psalm 94) was sung. The first four Lessons belonged
specifically to the night-vigil and formed a greeting worthy of the enthroned
King. The Readings tap the marrow of the Ember celebration, its connection with
the Jewish feasts of the seventh month, Yom Kippur and the feast of
Tabernacles. The autumn Ember days are days of penance for past failings and of
gratitude for the harvest (and redemption); such too is the spiritual import of
the Lessons. The first reviews the Mosaic legislation concerning the Day of
Atonement, the second concerning the feast of Tabernacles, Israel’s great
thanksgiving feast.
The
two Graduals echo their respective Lessons; the first “Forgive” (Day of
Atonement), the second, “How lovely are Thy tabernacles” (feast of
Tabernacles). The third and fourth Lessons, from the prophets Micheas and
Zacharias, are comforting messages in which God reaffirms His readiness to
forgive the sins of His people and to grant them good things provided they
remain faithful. God is also concerned over the manner in which we fast: “The
fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the
seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah joy and
gladness and a great solemnity!” By which our Ember days, of course, are meant.
The Orations offer God our festive fast and plead forgiveness. As on other
Ember Saturdays, the fifth Lesson is already part of the morning service; the
assembled faithful are praying Lauds; the three youths in the fiery furnace
prefigure the resurrection of Christ and of Christians.
In
the Epistle St. Paul shows how the ceremonies of the old covenant were types of
the new; our day of atonement is Good Friday when Christ, the divine High
Priest, entered the most holy sanctuary of heaven with His own Blood and
wrought eternal redemption; every Mass is Good Friday repeated. In the Tract we
chant the shortest Laud psalm as we express our gratefulness for God’s merciful
work of redemption and HIs fidelity in fulfilling the prophecies.
Presently
the High Priest Himself appears, first “teaching on the Sabbath” (in the
Foremass), then offering Himself (in the Oblation). The unfruitful “fig tree in
the orchard” and the “bowed-down woman” are the faithful. God is the landlord,
Christ the pleading gardener; till now we have been unfruitful.
We
also resemble the bowed-down woman; wholly taken up with earthy concerns, too
often we are “unable to look upward”; but on this Christian Sabbath, Christ
seeks “to free us from the bonds of Satan” and make us spiritually “erect.”
Thus the Gospel insinuates the workings of grace in today’s holy Sacrifice.
At
the sacrificial Banquet we once more recall the institution of the feast of
Tabernacles as a remembrance of the deliverance from Egypt and the wanderings
through the wilderness—for the Eucharist is the fulfillment of those two
historical events by providing deliverance from sin and the true Manna from
heaven. A classic, thought-packed Postcommunion: May the sacramental energy of
the Eucharist realize its power in us, and may we one day enjoy face to face
what now we see in a veiled manner. Three realities are noted: the first is the
sign—this shows the sacrament. Underneath the sign is hidden the second
reality, the sacrament’s efficacy—what the sacraments contain. And lastly, the
rerun veritas, the future unveiling.
2.
A “Spiritual Renewal” Day. For a “day of recollection” no better meditation
points could be found than those in the Lessons of today’s Ember Mass. Of the
two areas of thought proper to the formulary, viz., the Ember festivity is the
Christian “Day of Atonement” and the Christian Feast of Tabernacles (or
thanksgiving day at harvest time), let us pursue the former in some detail.
a) The Old Testament type. The Day of Atonement, Yom
Kippur, was the great penitential observance of Mosaic Law, Israel’s
“confession day.” With us “penance days” are not feast days, but among the Jews
it was otherwise; Yom Kippur was a day of strict rest, absolutely no type of
work was permitted and the spirit of the occasion was festive, celebrabitis.
The day’s liturgy exemplified the nation’s effort to expiate sin; on this one
day of the year, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with sacrificial
blood and sprinkle the ark of the covenant in atonement for his own and his
people’s sins. Meanwhile the people did penance through fasting, humbling
themselves before Yahweh.
b) The New Testament fulfillment. Mosaic festivals
were shadows which took on flesh and blood in the Church of Christ. Good Friday
was the real, the unique day of atonement in the sight of God. How well St.
Paul affirmed this truth in the Epistle of today’s Mass: “Christ appeared as
the high priest of coming (Messianic) blessings. He entered the greater and
more perfect tabernacle not made by human hands (i.e., heavenly in nature) not
with the blood of goats and steers but with His own blood—once and for all He
entered the (heavenly) Holy of Holies—after He had effected an eternal
redemption (i.e., one with lasting effects in contrast to the annually repeated
Jewish day of atonement).” For the sacrifice on the Cross constituted the
perfect reconciliation of God with mankind; and every holy Mass, as it renders
present that sacrifice on Golgotha, is Yom Kippur par excellence.
Every
Sunday then would be the Christian atonement feast. But because we Christians
are so irresponsive and dull to the inner nature of spiritual realities, holy
Church introduced special expiation days during the course of the Church year.
Among these are Ember days. Ember Saturdays, particularly September Ember
Saturday, have preserved best this original spirit. Anyone who seeks to develop
his spiritual life on a liturgical basis would have to use the Ember days
during the four seasons as times of genuine spiritual renewal. The peculiar
means of keeping these days is evident from the liturgy itself—acts of penance
and fasting, confession of sin, humbling ourselves before God and neighbor, and
nevertheless rejoicing, in the best sense of the word. Our conduct would
exemplify the prophet’s statement (fourth Lesson), “The fast proper to the
fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months (i.e., the four Ember weeks) should
mean joy and exultation to the house of Judah (viz,, Catholics) and high
festival; you only need to love truth (obedience) and peace.”
c) Application. God appeals directly to my heart in
the Gospel. The two parables, one in word and one in sign, should move me
deeply. I am that barren fig tree. The infinitely just God is the landlord, our
Savior the pleading caretaker. If God should summon me to His judgement seat
today (the command to destroy the tree), would there be any “fruit”? To what
extent would I resemble the barren fig tree? Why does it occupy ground? But
Christ intercedes, says a kindly word in my behalf: “Perhaps there will be some
return—next crop! If not, it can then be cut down.” The coming quarter-year
mark must mark a change, genuine improvement.
The
parable in sign is equally instructive. My soul is so badly bowed down to
earth, it find “looking upwards” toward heavenly realities extremely painful.
Christ must make me stand erect again. The coming season as no other is the
season of hope, of preparation for the parousia, of longing for the heavenly
Jerusalem, of expectation for the returning Lord. Jesus, have mercy. Free me
from stooping down to the earthly, the sensual. Straighten me out for heaven.
Now! Jesus, have mercy.
—Excerpted from Pius Parsch, Year of Grace, Volume 5.
Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist
INTROIT. AS for me I am like a green olive tree in the house off the Lord; by trust hath been in the tender mercy of my God: and I will hope in thy Name for thy Saints like it well.
GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God: that we who on this day prevent the feast of thy holy Apostle Saint Matthew, may by the devout observance of the same increase in godliness to the attainment of everlasting salvation. Amen.
Epistle. Ecclesiasticus 44:22-45:5, 7
THE blessing of the Lord was upon the head of the righteous. Therefore, the Lord gave him a heritage; and divided his portion among the twelve tribes.
And he found favor in the sight of all fleshy. And the Lord magnified him so that his enemies stood in fear of him. By his words he caused the wonders to cease: he made him glorious in the sight of kings, and gave him a commandment for his people, and shewed him his glory.
He sanctified him in his faithfulness and meekness, and chose him out of all men. He gave him commandments before his face, even the law of life and knowledge, and exalted him.
An everlasting covenant he made with him: the Lord beautified him with ornaments of righteousness: and clothed him with a robe of glory.
The Gospel. St John 15:12-16
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
OFFERTORY. Ps. 8. Thou hast crowned him with glory and worship: and hast made him to have dominion of the works of thy hands, O Lord.
O LORD, who didst exalt thy blessed Saint Matthew to be numbered among thine Apostles: grant that we thy people, who on this day, preventing his heavenly birth, do offer unto thee these holy mysteries, may be assisted by his intercession both in the making of our supplications before thee, and in the obtaining of all that we desire.
Korean Catholics[2]
During the 17th century the Christian faith was brought to Korea through the zeal of lay persons. From the very beginning these Christians suffered terrible persecutions and many suffered martyrdoms during the 19th century. Today's feast honors a group of 103 martyrs. Notable of these were Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest, and the lay apostle, Paul Chong Hasang. Also, among the Korean martyrs were three bishops and seven priests, but for the most part they were heroic laity, men and women, married and single of all ages. They were canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984.
St. Andrew Kim Taegon and St. Paul Chong Hasang and their companions
This first native
Korean priest was the son of Korean converts. His father, Ignatius Kim, was
martyred during the persecution of 1839 and was beatified in 1925. After
baptism at the age of fifteen, Andrew traveled thirteen hundred miles to the
seminary in Macao, China. After six years he managed to return to his country
through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was
ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more
missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He
was arrested, tortured and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the
capital. Paul Chong Hasang was a lay apostle and a married man, aged
forty-five. Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592
when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers.
Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside
world except for an annual journey to Beijing to pay taxes. On one of these
occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led
educated Korean Christians to study. A home church began. When a Chinese priest
managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found four thousand
Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were
ten thousand Catholics. Religious freedom came in 1883.
When
Pope John Paul II visited Korea in 1984, he canonized Andrew, Paul,
ninety-eight Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred
between 1839 and 1867. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most
part they were laypersons: forty-seven women, forty-five men. Among the martyrs
in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of twenty-six. She was put in
prison, pierced with hot awls and seared with burning coals. She and her sister
Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals
but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more
women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. A boy of thirteen, Peter
Ryou, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at
the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a forty-one-year-old
noble, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed
his faith and was tortured to death.
Today
there are approximately four million Catholics in Korea.
Oktoberfest[1]
Remember no
carousing or drunkenness!!!
Today is a Fast
Day-Be a Man only drink 1 liter stein
Oktoberfest
is a 16-day folk festival celebrated in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is
also the world’s largest Volksfest, which are German events that combine
beer festivals
with traveling funfairs. Oktoberfest first emerged on October 12, 1910,
when King Ludwig I married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Citizens of
Munich celebrated the marriage in fields leading to the city gates. These
fields were named ‘Theresienwiese’ in honor of the Princess. The wedding
celebrations ended on October 17th with horse races and until 1960, horse races
were held annually. Eventually, carnivals, amusement rides, food booths, beer
tents and parades were all added to the celebrations. Today, Oktoberfest is
still held annually at the Theresienwiese fairgrounds in Munich although there
are no longer any horse races. Oktoberfest celebrations have also spread
globally, becoming synonymous with beer and German culture. This festival
usually starts on the third weekend of September and ends on the first weekend
of October.
Oktoberfest Facts
·
According
to tradition, beer tents at the Oktoberfest can only sell beer that has been
brewed in Munich. The beer has to adhere to the Bavarian Purity
Requirements called Reinheitsgebot.
The six breweries allowed at the Oktoberfest include:
1) Augustiner
2) Hacker Pschorr
3) Hofbräu
4) Löwenbräu
5) Paulaner
6) Spaten
·
Since
Oktoberfest is still held on the Theresienweise, locals refer to Oktoberfest as
Wies'n.
·
Beer
served at the Oktoberfest is poured in mugs called Maß. A Maß is made of
clear glass, so that the consumer can see whether the Maß is full or not.
Maß also contains a calibration mark to which beer must be filled and the
calibration mark has to amount to 1-liter. If a Maß is not completely
filled, or the calibration mark falls below the true 1 liter position, or if
there is no calibration mark, then the seller can be prosecuted for committing
fraud. Verein gegen betrügerisches Einschenken is a Munich-based
organization that monitors whether glasses are being completely filled or not.
·
Traditional
German clothing for Oktoberfest includes a Sennerhut. Sennerhut is a
woollen hat that may have symbols of a person’s hometown, or is embroidered
with bright flowers. For a measure of good luck, some people add goat
hair on the hat. Men traditionally wear Lederhosen, which are leather
breeches, while women wear Dirndl. A dirndl is a dress that consists of a
bodice, blouse, skirt and apron.
·
In
2015, 5,900,000 visitors attended Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
Approximately 7.3 million liters of beer was consumed and the average
1-litre mug of beer cost approximately 10.22 euros ($12).
Oktoberfest Top
Events and Things to Do
·
Attend
the real Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
·
Try
the only beer that adheres to Bavarian Purity Requirements (Reinheitsgebot),
and which is sold at the Oktoberfest, including:
1) Augustiner
2) Hacker Pschorr
3) Hofbräu
4) Löwenbräu
5) Paulaner
6) Spaten
·
Try
traditional Oktoberfest food:
1) Bavarian Brez’n, a soft pretzel that is served with sausage and mustards
2) Sausages including Bratwurst, Weisswurst, or Currywurst
3) Slow roasted ox
4) Rotisserie chicken
5) Schweinshaxe which is a pickled ham served with sauerkraut and mashed
potatoes.
·
Celebrate
Oktoberfest at beer gardens in the United States. Here are some
recommendations:
1) Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2) Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, Michigan
3) Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California
4) Fremont Brewing Company in Seattle, Washington
5) Draught House Pub & Brewery in Austin, Texas
6) Frankford Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7) Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Brooklyn, New York
8) Cisco Brewers in Nantucket, Massachusetts
9) Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in San Diego, California
10) Der Biergarten in Atlanta, Georgia
11) Rhein Haus in Seattle, Washington
12) Wurstküche in Los Angeles, California
Host an
Oktoberfest party. Try different German beers and Oktoberfest dishes
including sausages and soft pretzels and even dress up in traditional
Oktoberfest clothing called Tracht, including a dirndl for women
and lederhosen for men
[1]http://www.wincalendar.com/Oktoberfest
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Reparations
for offenses and blasphemies against God and the Blessed Virgin Mary
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: September
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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