Posts
Vinny’s
Corner
·
Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Foodie Food on
the Camino de Santiago
·
Spirit hour: 15
Traditional Spanish Drinks
·
Bucket Item trip:
Medjugorje’s Marian heart followed by the genesis of the Camino in Roncesvalles
and Pamplona. Both are threshold spaces: one invites interior healing, the
other initiates a physical and spiritual journey westward. September 27–October
3 itinerary in Spain to complement the Medjugorje rhythm with a Camino genesis
experience:
🇪🇸 Genesis of the Camino:
Roncesvalles to Pamplona (Sep 27–Oct 3, 2025)
This 50 km
stretch is the ceremonial beginning of the Camino Francés. It’s a descent from
the Pyrenees into Navarre, rich with forest paths, medieval bridges, and echoes
of pilgrim’s past.
🏞️ Day 1 (Sep 27): Arrival in Roncesvalles
- Transfer
from Pamplona or nearby airport.
- Settle
into the Monastery
Albergue—a sacred space with centuries of pilgrim history.
- Attend
Pilgrim Mass and receive the traditional blessing.
🌲 Day 2 (Sep 28): Roncesvalles → Burguete → Espinal (~7
km)
- Early
start with Rosary walk through beech and oak forests.
- Pause
at Roland’s Cross, a site of purification and legend.
- Visit
Hotel Burguete, Hemingway’s retreat, for coffee and reflection.
- Overnight
in Espinal, a quiet
village nestled in Navarre’s hills.
🥾 Day 3 (Sep 29): Espinal → Biskarreta → Zubiri (~15
km)
- Gentle
walk-through forested paths and open countryside.
- Stop
at Biskarreta’s café with its old weighing scale—symbolic for measuring
spiritual “weight.”
- Cross
the Puente de la Rabia in Zubiri, said to heal animals of rabies.
- Soak
feet in the River Arga—an embodied act of renewal.
🕊️ Day 4 (Sep 30): Zubiri → Pamplona (~20 km)
- Walk
through Erro and the artful village of Gerendiain.
- Arrive
in Pamplona
by afternoon.
- Visit
Cathedral of Santa María la Real and reflect on your journey’s beginning.
- Optional:
Attend Vespers or evening Mass.
🏙️ Day 5 (Oct 1): Pamplona Cultural Day
- Explore
Plaza del Castillo, Hemingway’s haunt.
- Visit
Church of San Saturnino, linked to early Camino legends.
- Optional:
Bullring tour for historical context.
- Sunset
prayer at Parque de la Taconera.
📖 Day 6 (Oct 2): Reflection & Writing
- Morning
journaling at Café Iruña.
- Visit
Camino interpretation center for historical insights.
- Final
group sharing or solo reflection on your dual pilgrimage arc.
✈️
Day 7 (Oct 3):
- Morning
Mass or quiet prayer.
- onward
travel next week
For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
John 3:16
·
Texas State Fair (Dallas) September 27-Oct 20 “Our state
fair is a great state fair.” How can it not be when it’s in Texas? Beginning
the last Friday in September, the annual Texas State Fair unfolds over 24 days
in Dallas, TX, with plenty of fun for the whole family, including the chance to
ride this Ferris wheel – the largest in North America.
·
How to celebrate Sep 27th
o Start your day by enjoying a refreshing glass of chocolate milk to
celebrate National Chocolate Milk Day.
§
German Butterbrot Day can inspire you to create a simple yet delicious buttered bread
snack for breakfast.
§
As
you savor your meal, take a moment to learn and appreciate the traditions of Native American Day.
o Embrace the spirit of World Tourism Day
by planning a virtual tour of a destination you’ve always wanted to visit. This
could be a fun and budget-friendly way to satisfy your wanderlust.
§
Hug a Vegetarian Day reminds us to show appreciation for our plant-based friends, so
reach out and share a kind message with them.
o For Cool Sword Day, you can indulge in a fantasy marathon of sword-fighting movies or
TV shows.
o National Corned Beef Hash Day invites you to cook up a hearty meal using simple ingredients like
corned beef, potatoes, and onions.
o Ancestor Appreciation Day encourages you to explore your family history and heritage. Take
this opportunity to reach out to family members to learn more about your roots.
o
Finally, National No Excuses Day reminds us to focus on our goals and aspirations. Take some time to
reflect on what you want to achieve and make a small step towards realizing
your dreams.
SEPTEMBER
27 Saturday-St. Vincent De Paul
On those who waver, have mercy; save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with FEAR, abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
Save others by snatching them out of the fire. Jude is advising us to be
prudent when you save others. There is almost no way you can pull others from a
fire without being burnt; unless you are wearing protective garments.
You cannot save unbelievers by hanging out in the bar with them or
partying with them.
Jude states the even the very garments of the godless are to be abhorred
because of their contagion or in more simplistic terms we cannot have the same
lifestyle as the godless. No we must
be in the world but not of the world. Christ in His Sermon on the Mount taught
us how our lifestyle is to be.
1.
Be not afraid but be brave
in the world loving even the loveless.
2.
Do not become prideful and
self-important but show humility; reverence and respect to
all: for they are created by the hand of God.
3.
Do not envy the wicked; but
let your desire be to be kind remembering they must account
for themselves before God; respect and be loyal to them.
4.
Let your anger be at
injustice; showing patience, compassion and forgiveness to the sinner.
5.
Be temperate and do all things in moderation; do not greedily take things to yourself but
share your wealth with those in need. Remember to show true charity
by helping them with their troubles thus empowering them to become greater; to
pursue righteousness.
6.
Do not become slothful or
failing to resist evil but be diligent to build the Kingdom of
God; one day and one person at a time: begin with yourself.
7.
Do not be gluttonous; avoid excess and exclusivity (the country club
mentality) but be temperate sacrifice, give up and surrender to the Spirit of
God.
8.
Do not look on others as objects to be used for lustful needs but see them as created by the hand of God; your chase
purpose is to help them achieve God’s dream for them.
Copilot’s Take
Jude’s exhortation with the spirit of St. Vincent de
Paul speaks with clarity, beauty, and spiritual resonance:
🔥 Mercy in the
Fire: Jude’s Call to Courageous Compassion
“On those who waver, have mercy; save others by
snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring even
the outer garment stained by the flesh.”
—Jude 1:22–23
Jude’s words are not gentle suggestions. They are
urgent, surgical instructions for spiritual triage. We are called to mercy—but
not naïve mercy. We are called to rescue—but not recklessly. We are called to
love—but not to lose ourselves in the flames.
This passage is a spiritual blueprint for
discernment in ministry, especially fitting on the feast of St. Vincent de Paul,
who embodied radical charity without compromising holiness. Jude divides the
spiritually endangered into three groups:
🕊️ 1. The
Doubters
These are the ones who waver—who teeter on the edge
of belief. Jude urges us to show gentle mercy here. These souls are reachable
through patient witness, honest conversation, and the quiet beauty of a life
well-lived in Christ.
🔥 2. The
Burning
These are those already engulfed in destructive
choices. Jude says: snatch them out of the fire. This is not passive
ministry. It’s bold, urgent, and risky. But it must be done with spiritual
armor—prayer, sacrament, and community. You cannot rescue someone from a
burning house if you’re barefoot and untrained.
😨 3. The
Contagious
Here, Jude warns us to show mercy with fear—a
holy caution. These are souls whose lifestyle is so corrupted that even their
“garments” are stained. We must love them, yes—but from a place of spiritual
vigilance. Not all mercy looks like proximity. Sometimes mercy means
boundaries.
🌿 In the World,
Not of It
Jude’s imagery reminds us that proximity to sin is
not the same as participation, but neither is it neutral. We are called to be in
the world—present, engaged, compassionate—but never of the world—compromised,
conformed, or seduced.
Christ’s Sermon on the Mount gives us the antidote
to worldly contagion:
|
Virtue |
Worldly
Counterfeit |
Christ’s
Call |
|
Courage |
Fear or indifference |
Love the loveless |
|
Humility |
Pride or self-importance |
Reverence all as God’s handiwork |
|
Kindness |
Envy or rivalry |
Desire righteousness for others |
|
Justice |
Anger or vengeance |
Forgive with compassion |
|
Temperance |
Greed or hoarding |
Share and empower |
|
Diligence |
Sloth or distraction |
Build the Kingdom daily |
|
Sacrifice |
Gluttony or exclusivity |
Surrender to the Spirit |
|
Chastity |
Lust or objectification |
Help others fulfill God’s dream for
them |
🕯️ Vincentian
Mercy: Charity with Discernment
St. Vincent de Paul didn’t rescue souls by blending
in. He served the poor with dignity and discipline, always rooted in prayer.
His mercy was not sentimental—it was strategic, sacramental, and deeply
Christ-centered.
So too must ours be. Whether we’re hosting a ritual
meal, walking the vineyard at sunset, or writing a blog post for the wandering
heart—our mercy must be wise, our charity chaste, and our witness uncompromising.
Feast of St. Vincent de Paul[1]
Having lived and
worked in Belgium it is interesting to note the little “d” from “de Paul”
normally denotes that Vincent was of a royal blood line.
St.
Vincent de Paul was a great apostle of charity and brought a great revival of
the priesthood in the 17th century. He was born near Dax in the Landes (France)
in 1581. As a young priest he was captured by Moorish pirates who carried him
to Africa. He was sold into slavery but freed in 1607 when he converted his
owner. Having returned to France, he became successively a parish priest and
chaplain to the galley-slaves. He founded a religious Congregation under the
title of Priests of the Mission or Lazarists (now known as Vincentians), and he
bound them by a special way to undertake the apostolic work of charity; he sent
them to preach missions, especially to the ignorant peasants of that time, and
to establish seminaries. In order to help poor girls, invalids, and the insane,
sick and unemployed, he and St. Louise de Marillac founded the Congregation of
the Daughters of Charity, now better known as the Sisters of St. Vincent. St.
Vincent worked tirelessly to help those in need: the impoverished, the sick, the
enslaved, the abandoned, the ignored. He died in 1660 at St. Lazarus's house,
Paris. His motto: "Let us love God; but at the price of our hands and
sweat of our face."
Things
to Do:[2]
- Find out more
about the Vincent de Paul Society near you, see if you can
participate.
- Find out more
about the two orders founded by St. Vincent.
- Other people
to find out more about: St. Louise de Marillac, Bl. Frederic Ozanam and St.
Francis de Sales.
- Learn what
France was like during St. Vincent's life. At that war-torn time, the
lives of peasants were far removed from those of the nobility.
- Make a banner
or poster with St. Vincent's motto to remind us of God's presence.
Remembering that, "God sees you."
Bible in a Year Day 83 The Valley of Achor
Fr. Mike explains the meaning of circumcision for
Israel's relationship with God. He also underscores the gravity of Achan's sin,
and how the Valley of Achor symbolizes shame that is painful but not hopeless.
Today we read Joshua 5-7 and Psalm 125.
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
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-09-27
Introduction to Revelation
[1]The Apocalypse, or Revelation to John, the last book of the Bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which this book is an outstanding example. Such literature enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles from ca. 200 B.C. to A.D. 200. This book contains an account of visions in symbolic and allegorical language borrowed extensively from the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel. Whether or not these visions were real experiences of the author or simply literary conventions employed by him is an open question. This much, however, is certain: symbolic descriptions are not to be taken as literal descriptions, nor is the symbolism meant to be pictured realistically. One would find it difficult and repulsive to visualize a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes; yet Jesus Christ is described in precisely such words. The author used these images to suggest Christ’s universal (seven) power (horns) and knowledge (eyes). A significant feature of apocalyptic writing is the use of symbolic colors, metals, garments, and numbers (four signifies the world, six imperfection, seven totality or perfection, twelve Israel’s tribes or the apostles, one thousand immensity). Finally, the vindictive language in the book is also to be understood symbolically and not literally. The cries for vengeance on the lips of Christian martyrs that sound so harsh are in fact literary devices the author employed to evoke in the reader and hearer a feeling of horror for apostasy and rebellion that will be severely punished by God. The lurid descriptions of the punishment of Jezebel and of the destruction of the great harlot, Babylon, are likewise literary devices. The metaphor of Babylon as harlot would be wrongly construed if interpreted literally. On the other hand, the stylized figure of the woman clothed with the sun, depicting the New Israel, may seem to be a negative stereotype.
It is necessary to look beyond the literal meaning to see that these images mean to convey a sense of God’s wrath at sin in the former case and trust in God’s providential care over the church in the latter. The Book of Revelation cannot be adequately understood except against the historical background that occasioned its writing. Like Daniel and other apocalypses, it was composed as resistance literature to meet a crisis. The book itself suggests that the crisis was ruthless persecution of the early church by the Roman authorities; the harlot Babylon symbolizes pagan Rome, the city on seven hills. The book is, then, an exhortation and admonition to Christians of the first century to stand firm in the faith and to avoid compromise with paganism, despite the threat of adversity and martyrdom; they are to await patiently the fulfillment of God’s mighty promises. The triumph of God in the world of men and women remains a mystery, to be accepted in faith and longed for in hope. It is a triumph that unfolded in the history of Jesus of Nazareth and continues to unfold in the history of the individual Christian who follows the way of the cross, even, if necessary, to a martyr’s death. Though the perspective is eschatological—ultimate salvation and victory are said to take place at the end of the present age when Christ will come in glory at the parousia—the book presents the decisive struggle of Christ and his followers against Satan and his cohorts as already over. Christ’s overwhelming defeat of the kingdom of Satan ushered in the everlasting reign of God. Even the forces of evil unwittingly carry out the divine plan, for God is the sovereign Lord of history. The Book of Revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for Christians of all time. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all Christians are called to trust in Jesus’ promise, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”. Those who remain steadfast in their faith and confidence in the risen Lord need have no fear. Suffering, persecution, even death by martyrdom, though remaining impenetrable mysteries of evil, do not comprise an absurd dead end. No matter what adversity or sacrifice Christians may endure, they will in the end triumph over Satan and his forces because of their fidelity to Christ the victor. This is the enduring message of the book; it is a message of hope and consolation and challenge for all who dare to believe. The author of the book calls himself John, who because of his Christian faith has been exiled to the rocky island of Patmos, a Roman penal colony. Although he never claims to be John the apostle, whose name is attached to the fourth gospel, he was so identified by several of the early church Fathers, including Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Hippolytus. This identification, however, was denied by other Fathers, including Denis of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom.
Indeed, vocabulary, grammar, and style make it doubtful that the book could have been put into its present form by the same person(s) responsible for the fourth gospel. Nevertheless, there are definite linguistic and theological affinities between the two books. The tone of the letters to the seven churches is indicative of the great authority the author enjoyed over the Christian communities in Asia. It is possible, therefore, that he was a disciple of John the apostle, who is traditionally associated with that part of the world. The date of the book in its present form is probably near the end of the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81–96), a fierce persecutor of the Christians.
Copilot
The Book of Revelation, often cloaked in mystery and dramatic imagery, is not a tale of terror but a profound proclamation of hope for Catholics. Written by the Apostle John during his exile on Patmos, it speaks to communities under persecution, offering not fear but assurance. Through symbols like dragons, beasts, and heavenly trumpets, Revelation unveils the cosmic struggle between good and evil, culminating in Christ’s definitive victory. At its heart is the Lamb—Christ—who has triumphed over death and holds the keys to eternity. For Catholics, this is not a call to dread but to courage. “Do not be afraid,” Christ declares (Rev 1:17–18), anchoring believers in the truth that fear has no dominion over those who walk in faith. The book’s liturgical richness—candles, incense, hymns—reminds us that every Mass is a participation in this heavenly worship, where fear dissolves in divine presence. Revelation urges Catholics to remain faithful amid trials, discerning the spiritual battles of their own time and resisting with sacramental strength. Ultimately, it invites us to live not in fear of the end, but in joyful anticipation of the New Jerusalem, where God dwells among His people and every tear is wiped away.
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