Posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
🌍 Dara’s Corner: Aboard The World
September 24–30, 2025
Theme: Waters of Mercy & Thresholds of Fire — Sailing from Zulu coastlines to sacred crossings
🕊️ Day 1: September 24 — Durban, South Africa (Anchor Point)
- Sunrise Rosary: On deck, invoking Our Lady of the Indian Ocean
- Symbolic Meal: Bunny chow with mango pickle and coriander—fusion of spice and soul
- Evening Ritual: Rooibos-infused bourbon and cigar at 6:15 PM, paired with Psalm 93:
“Mightier than the thunder of the great waters… the Lord on high is mighty.”
🌊 Day 2: September 25 — At Sea
- Fast-before-Feast: Light fasting until sunset, honoring the crossing
- Reflection: Cry, the Beloved Country — themes of exile, justice, and return
- Ritual Anointing: Marula oil and bergamot — “for the healing journey”
🕌 Day 3: September 26 — Maputo, Mozambique
- Pilgrimage: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception or imagined Marian shrine
- Meal: Piri-piri prawns with cassava and lime, paired with Domus Vinea Rosé
🌿 Day 4: September 27 — At Sea
- Reflection: Ubuntu & Mercy — Psalm 147:
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
- Symbolic Meal: Lentil and sweet potato stew with tamarind—bitterness and sweetness entwined
- Sunset Ritual: Smoke & silence, invoking the Holy Spirit as wind and breath
🕯️ Day 5: September 28 — Port Elizabeth
- Feast Day: Our Lady of the Southern Cross
- Meal: Karoo lamb stew with rosemary, Eucharistic bread, and Marian wine
- Reflection: “Victory through surrender”
🍷 Day 6: September 29 — Feast of the Archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael)
- Celebration: Sunrise Rosary invoking angelic protection
- Meal: Fig tart, honeyed goat cheese, Domus Vinea White
- Hospitality Arc: Invite fellow pilgrims to share stories of divine intervention and healing
🌅 Day 7: September 30 — Docked in Cape Town
- Closing Ritual: Sunset Examen — gratitude for thresholds crossed
- Final Toast: Cape wine and Psalm 126:
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.”
· Foodie-National Mofongo Day
o National Cherries Jubilee Day.
· Spirit Hour: Ransom Old Tom Gin
· How to celebrate Sep 24th
o Start your day with some self-care by celebrating Bluebird of Happiness Day. Take a moment to appreciate the world around you and spread positivity to those in your life.
o In the afternoon, focus on responsible pet ownership for National AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day. Take your furry friend for a long walk, play with them in the park, or simply spend quality time bonding together.
o As the day progresses, take time to acknowledge your heritage on Heritage Day. Research your family history, learn about your ancestors’ traditions, or cook a meal that pays tribute to your roots.
o Before bed, unwind by watching a Bollywood movie to commemorate World Bollywood Day. Immerse yourself in the vibrant colors, energetic dance sequences, and captivating storytelling of this iconic film industry.
SEPTEMBER 24 Wednesday
On the evening of that
first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for FEAR
of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be
with you.”
Life
begins at the end of our comfort zone.
Do you live in fear of failure or are you locking the
doors of your heart to new opportunities?
When you let in the spirit of Christ you
open yourself to empowerment.
The Law of
Empowerment[1]
The
job of leadership is to lead with the intent to work yourself out of a job.
This
is what Jesus did. After Christ gave His Peace to the apostles he breathed on
them to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and thus empowered them to live
the supernatural life. We in turn by the power of the successors of the
apostles are heirs to this.
Christ wants us to be change agents to bring about the
Kingdom.
How can we begin?
What steps can we take to mentor and empower others?
1.
Pray
for conviction and vision.
2.
Select
a person or group from your sphere of influence to mentor.
3.
Meet
and discuss expectations and goals.
4.
Cast
a vision to them for spiritual reproduction.
5.
Ask
for commitment.
6.
Determine
what tools or resources you will use together.
7.
Prepare
yourself and set goals for each meeting.
8.
Meet
regularly for a set time.
9.
Discuss
and apply the truths you learn together.
10. Invest yourself in
the person, the process, and the purpose.
11. Help them find a
potential person to mentor.
12. Evaluate and
launch them to try the process themselves.
Copilot’s
Take
🔐 Peace Behind Locked Doors
September 24 — Hour of Adoration of
the Sacred Heart
"On the evening of that first day
of the week, when the doors were locked... Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'"
— John 20:19
We
begin this Wednesday not with noise, but with a locked room. The disciples are
huddled in fear, paralyzed by uncertainty, grief, and the threat of
persecution. And yet—Christ enters. Not by force, but by presence. Not with
rebuke, but with peace.
This is
the paradox of empowerment: it begins not with bravado, but with surrender.
Jesus doesn’t wait for the disciples to unlock the door. He meets them in their
fear and breathes into them the Holy Spirit. He empowers them not to dominate,
but to serve. Not to cling, but to release.
💡 The Law of Empowerment
Leadership,
in the Kingdom of God, is not about control—it’s about commissioning. Christ
models this perfectly: He works Himself out of a job by breathing His Spirit
into others. He entrusts the mission to trembling hands and uncertain hearts,
knowing that grace will do the rest.
Imagine
if our political leaders led this way—mentoring successors, empowering
communities, and stepping aside with joy when the time comes. This is not
weakness. It is divine strategy.
🔥 From Fear to Fire: A Mentoring
Mandate
If we
are heirs to this Spirit, then we are also heirs to this mission. The Sacred
Heart beats not just with love, but with courage. It invites us to unlock the
doors of our own hearts and become agents of transformation.
🕯️ Adoration of the Sacred Heart
As you
enter this hour of adoration, reflect on the locked doors in your own life.
Where
are you hiding?
Where
are you withholding peace?
Let
Christ enter. Let Him breathe on you. Let Him empower you to unlock someone
else’s door.
Because
life truly begins at the end of our comfort zone—and the Spirit begins where
fear ends.
HOUR OF ADORATION OF THE SACRED HEART.[2]
Prayer.
"What a happiness is mine, O my Savior, to hold communion with Thee, to thank Thee for the immense love of Thy heart for mankind, to offer Thee some reparation for the outrages unceasingly committed against Thee.
But sinner as I am, how can I worthily acquit myself of so holy a duty?
O Jesus, unite my prayers to Thine, offer to Thy heavenly Father the holy dispositions of Thy divine heart in order to supply for my deficiencies, Holy Virgin, lead me to the heart of thy divine Son, that sanctuary of grace and virtue. I unite myself to the homage rendered Him by thy immaculate heart. Ye blessed spirits, ever humbly prostrate before that adorable heart, I unite myself to your profound adorations; communicate to me your love and recollection, present to Him my prayers; and ye saints of heaven and just ones of the earth, come and let us adore together the heart of our Redeemer.
Place yourself in the presence of God, make an act of faith and -say with the prodigal son:
My Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Thy sight. 1 am no longer worthy to be called Thy child. Make me as one of Thy hired servants. I desire nothing more.
Place yourself in spirit near the heart of Jesus, at the foot of the throne of mercy; approach with confidence, listen to the loving words Our Lord addresses to you, and pray to Him with earnestness and devotion.
Jesus Christ. Open to Me thy heart, My spouse, My beloved.
The Disciple. O my God, is it to me that Thou dost address these words? My soul is but an abyss of misery, and Thou callest me Thy beloved; I presume not to raise my eyes towards Thy heart so pure and holy, yet as soon as I present myself to Thee Thou dost lavish on me Thy most signal favors. What a glory and happiness for me, my God, to be noticed by Thee, to know that Thou disdainest not a creature so guilty as myself! Ah, since Thou sufferest me in Thy presence, since Thou even commandest me to open to Thee my heart, I obey. Depart from thence, all earthly thoughts; leave me to converse with my God, that from His heart I may draw forth true love.
Jesus Christ. Thou hast wounded My heart, My beloved; thou hast wounded My heart.
The Disciple.
O God, how can it be that Thy love should have made Thee take a heart like unto mine?
Ah, Thou hast taken this heart in order that Thou mayst feel all my miseries; but what a prodigy of love to have assumed this heart only to allow it to be pierced in favor of one so ungrateful! Thou hast allowed it to be pierced on the cross in the face of the whole world, so that none should be ignorant of the excess of Thy tenderness. Thou bearest in heaven this glorious wound. The opening in Thy heart shall never be closed up; it shall always bear the triumphant mark of Thy love. O divine heart, wound this heart of mine; inflict so deep a wound that it shall open entirely to Thee; pierce it with the same lance with which Thine own was pierced, so that the waters of a sincere repentance may flow from thence. Alas! this heart has wounded Thee a thousand times more by its ingratitude, infidelity, and obduracy. I have pierced it by my offences. O my Savior, pardon me; banish sin from my heart, making Thy holy love reign there in its place.
Jesus Christ. My beloved, let there be no division; give Me entire possession of thy heart. The Disciple.
O Lord, how dost Thou abase Thyself, disdaining not to ask for the heart of one who has not blushed to refuse it to Thee in order to resign it up to sin?
What tenderness on Thy part!
But, O my God, what has this heart become which Thou demandest of me?
Alas! It is sullied with a thousand stains.
How canst Thou endure it, Thou Who art sanctity itself?
Ah, my God, how much that is wrong is there in this heart! what love of self-attachment to my own thoughts and will! what worldly inclinations, distaste for heaven, tepidity in Thy service, and solicitude for this perishing body! However, since Thou deignest to demand it, I offer it Thee. O Jesus, the only object of my love, receive me now in Thy sacred heart, so that I may be all Thine; receive me into that ardent furnace in order that I may be wholly consumed in Thy love. There, my sweet Savior, I shall know the value of the blood which has redeemed me, and shall comprehend how I ought to love Thee. O love of my Savior, thou art that living water for which I thirst; my heart tends only towards Thee. Open to me Thy loving heart. My heart is Thine for eternity; bestow upon me Thine, O Jesus.
Jesus Christ. Yes, my beloved, I give thee My heart; set it it as a seal upon thine own, study its sentiments, copy faithfully its virtues.
The Disciple. O my soul, receive this heart burning with love, respond to its adorable designs over thee, endeavor to make them thine own. Adorable Jesus, my heart was formed to be Thy habitation, Thy throne, Thy altar, Thy tabernacle. Enter, O divine Savior, into this habitation, and purify it from all that is unworthy of Thee. Command it as a sovereign upon his throne, and give me the docility necessary to obey Thee. Receive upon this altar the sacrifice I make Thee of my heart, and dwell as a God of majesty and holiness in that living tabernacle which Thou hast chosen for Thyself. O my soul, regard attentively thy divine model; see Him raised upon the mount, nailed to the cross; behold His bleeding hands, those eyes dim, the mouth livid, those pierced hands and feet. Content thyself not with the exterior; look in spirit at His heart; it has been opened by the lance in order that thou mayst pass therein. Imitate His love, meekness, humility, and charity. Then cast down thine eyes on the ground around Calvary; it is watered with His blood. At the sight of that blood understand that love shows itself more by actions than by words. Thou desirest, O my Savior, that I should place Thee as a seal upon my heart by the imitation of Thy virtues and Thy example. I ardently wish to do so. Give me grace to execute what Thou commandest. O Jesus, Thy heart is pure, let mine be pure; Thine is humble, let mine be humble; Thine is patient and docile, let mine be patient and docile; Thy heart is all love let mine also be inflamed with Thy love. Ah! hence forth O my Savior, I wish only to have in my heart what Thou hast in Thine: humility, patience, gentleness, meekness, charity. I desire no more to bestow my heart on creatures, but to give it all to Thee. Alas! it has not always been devoted to Thy service. Through Thy grace, O my God, it is now all Thine, and I hope it will ever remain so.
Jesus Christ. Love is strong as death; its lamps are lamps of fire, which the greatest waters cannot extinguish.
The Disciple. Thy love for me, O my Savior, is more powerful than hell, since it has broken its gates in order to deliver me and open to me those of heaven. It is stronger than death, since Thou hast disarmed it in order to give me life. Oh, wondrous strength of love! All-invincible as Thou art, my God, it disarms Thee; it stays Thy arm raised to strike the sinner; it saves him from Thy avenging justice in order to give to him Thy infinite mercy. I acknowledge that it is through love for us that Thy supreme majesty is humbled even to vouch safe to unite itself to our nature; and it is through the strength of this same love that the creature can ascend unto Thee, and enjoy the privilege of entering into Thy sacred heart. Behold, my soul, how Jesus hath loved thee! Behold the humiliations and sufferings, the thorns, the nails, the cross, and the effusion of His blood! These are the proofs of His love. The flames of this love are so ardent that all the waters of our iniquities cannot extinguish them.
But O my soul, where are the marks of thy love for Jesus? What hast thou done for Him? Where are thy victories over thy evil inclinations? Where the labors thou hast undertaken, the sufferings thou hast endured, for His glory?
Alas! my God, my zeal is weak, my love is languishing. Thy interests are more than ever abandoned. Thy enemies increase daily. Have I ever fought in defense of Thy cause?
Jesus Christ.
O my beloved, is there any sorrow like unto Mine?
How much have I done for My children, and how have they rebelled against Me! I have carried them in My heart, and they have lacerated, outraged, and forsaken it. The sorrows of death have compassed Me, and the perils of hell are unchained against Me.
The Disciple. O my Lord and my God, sorrow seizes on my soul, affliction and sadness press on my heart, at the sight of Thy grief. Prostrate in the dust before Thy adorable heart, I make reparation to Thee before heaven and earth. Pardon, divine Jesus, all the outrages which were committed during the course of Thy mortal life ; pardon the impieties, the irreverence’s, the sacrileges which have been committed against Thee in the sacrament of Thy love ; pardon especially the sorrows which I have caused to Thy divine heart by my irreverence in Thy holy temples, by my tepid communions made without due preparation, and by the abuse which I have made of Thy graces and of Thy precious blood.
Ah! why cannot I by my repentance and my adoration restore Thee the glory of which so many offences have deprived Thee? Why cannot I by my words and my example lead back so many hearts which have withdrawn themselves from Thee? Why cannot I by my prayers and tears cause a cessation to so many scandals, and draw unto Thee worshippers in spirit and in truth?
Jesus Christ. I suffer on the part of Jews, pagans, and heretics. They have condemned Me; but that those who ought to be devoted to Me should regard Me with indifference, and treat Me with such neglect, pierces My heart with sorrow.
The Disciple.
Ah, my sweet Savior, can I think of this, and not die with sorrow?
Heavenly spirits, angels of peace, weep bitterly for the indignities with which your Lord is visited; weep over our ingratitude to a heart which has loved us so much. Divine Jesus, Thou hast come into this world in order to seek and to save mankind; and those ungrateful ones fly from Thee arid abandon Thee. Thou loadest them with benefits, and they abuse them; they turn them against the giver, and against themselves. Thou art always in the midst of them, and they seem to be ignorant of Thy presence, or only to know Thee in order to offer Thee some new outrage. Thou openest to them Thy heart, and they enter therein only to pierce it with a thousand arrows.
Alas! my loving Savior, am I not myself one of these ungrateful souls? Ah, what sorrow have I not occasioned to Thy sacred heart?
I, Thy beloved
one!
Why does not Thy outraged heart close itself, so as to forget and reject us? Why does not Thy avenging arm raise itself against Thy guilty servants in order to exterminate them? Shouldst Thou not at least deprive us of Thy loving presence, forsake our temples so frequently profaned, and remain in heaven, where the angels and saints forever sing Thy praises? But remain Thou still, O Lord, in the midst of us: what would become of us if Thou didst abandon the earth?
Thy Father, beholding no longer the only object of His complacency, would visit us with His avenging justice.
How, then, could we escape His wrath?
Heart of Jesus, avenge Thyself as befits the God of mercy. Do Thou pardon and convert our souls to Thee.
Jesus Christ.
I have promised to remain in the midst of you until the consummation of the world, but in the sorrow which afflicts Me have I not a right to expect to meet with some who will compassionate My sufferings?
Nevertheless, I am left alone in My sorrow.
The Disciple. My beloved Savior, Thou shalt no longer be forsaken; I will make it a duty to visit and adore Thee. heart of Jesus, always burning with love for us, always ready to show mercy, pardon me my guilty forgetfulness of Thee; pardon me my unfaithfulness in Thy service, my want of zeal in making Thee known and loved; let my heart cease to be if it is to be again insensible to Thee. Heart of Jesus, I consecrate to Thee the remainder of my life. I wish that all creatures had the hearts of seraphim in order to love Thee; that every mouth would sing Thy praises; that every mind should be occupied only with Thy greatness. I unite my praises to those which Thou receivest from all the angels and saints, and just souls on earth. I wish that all who love and adore Thee were multiplied, and would freely sacrifice all that I possess, my life itself, if necessary, in order to prevent a single offence against Thee.
Jesus Christ. My beloved, I accept thy desires; ask My Father in My name, and all that you desire He will grant you.
The Disciple. O Jesus, my only hope, make me faithful to the devotion I have vowed to Thy adorable heart. Signalize Thy mercy by allowing me to regain, by the ardor of my love, the time which has been passed in Thy service, with so much tepidity. I desire to make reparation, by continual praise, for the ingratitude of mankind, and to give Thee every moment fresh proofs of my love. Thy love for me keeps Thy heart always open, so that I may dwell there forever. Let love lead me and forever fix my dwelling-place therein, and receive my last sigh. I beg the same grace, O my God, for all for whom I am particularly bound to pray. May those who have the happiness to belong to the association of Thy divine heart, spread throughout the world, have a special share in Thy mercy. Grant, O Lord, that this confraternity may extend and perpetuate itself in all times and in every place, that it may honor Thee by the practice of every virtue, and an indefatigable zeal for the conversion of souls. And since my merciful God wearies not of listening to me, I will still continue to speak to Him I, who am only dust and ashes. God of my heart, lend an ear to my voice; love those who love Thee not; open Thy heart to those who do not knock at the gate; and vouchsafe to cure those who, far from asking Thee to heal them, take a pleasure in adding fresh venom to Thy wounds. Thou hast said, my Savior, that Thou didst come upon the earth in order to seek sinners. O my Jesus, these then are truly sinners. Ah! do not consider our ingratitude, our blindness; remember only the blood which Thou hast shed for our salvation. Make manifest Thy mercy; regard us as the work of Thy hands. Save us by Thy mercy; our evils are extreme. Arise, O Lord, behold the progress made by Thine enemies; stay them, O my Jesus. Since they will not go to Thee, go Thyself to them. I beseech of Thee to grant this grace through Thy sacred wounds and by Thy precious blood. O my Savior, put an end to my sins and those of all mankind. Let Thy voice make itself heard, and restore life to so many hardened sinners. Call them from the deep abyss into which they have fallen. Lazarus asked Thee not to raise him from the dead. Thou didst work this miracle in behalf of a sinner. O Lord, look also on me; I beseech Thee to hear my prayer. I ask it through the tears Thou didst shed over the grave of Lazarus; remember that Thy tears have flowed for all sinners who sleep in sin. Through Thy precious blood I ask it, for Thou hast pardoned those who shed it; pardon us, O Savior of the world. O Jesus, make Thy Church triumph over all her enemies, increase the number of her children, give peace unto her, and grant that she may ever bless Thy holy name and revere Thy Sacred heart O merciful Redeemer, have pity also on the souls in purgatory; be touched by their sufferings ; they are the price of Thy blood; open to them Thy heart ; listen to their fomentations, and grant them, with release from their sufferings, the happiness of glorifying Thee in heaven. Remember also, O merciful Jesus, in a special manner, those souls who when on earth devoted themselves to Thy sacred heart, and were zealous for the glory of Thy blessed Mother. Suffer them not to be deprived longer of Thy presence for they are very dear to Thee; and through this same merciful heart I beseech Thee to put them in possession of eternal happiness.
PRAYER AFTER THE HOUR OF ADORATION.
Pardon me, my God, the distractions into which I have fallen during this hour.
Alas! mayst Thou not reproach me as Thou didst Thy three disciples with not being able to watch one hour with Thee?
One hour with Thee, O loving heart of Jesus, has appeared to me too long.
Ah, should it not be my delight to be ever with Thee? O heart ever full of love, why has mine been so cold, so languishing in Thy presence?
Pardon me, O Lord;
for I desire to breathe only for Thee, to make my whole life a perpetual
adoration of Thy sacred heart. Amen.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church
Every Wednesday
is Dedicated to St. Joseph
The
Italian culture has always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you
could make Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of
pizza or spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday
evening Mass. You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are
adventurous, you could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the
evening a family night, perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make
the day special.
· Do the St. Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Daily
Devotions
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no
shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
·
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: End to
the use of Contraceptives
·
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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