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Candace’s Corner
· Foodie: Wake up to a day full of tradition and gratitude. Begin with a hearty breakfast to fuel your adventures ahead.
o Indulge your sweet tooth with a homemade dessert or a treat from a local bakery. Savor each bite and let yourself enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
· Spirit Hour:
· Pray Day 8 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
· How to celebrate Oct 14th
o Take a moment to appreciate the environment by participating in an e-waste recycling drive. Make a difference by responsibly disposing of old electronics.
o Celebrate love and connections by reaching out to loved ones. Send a heartfelt message or plan a surprise visit to show your affection.
o Embrace your unique identity by embracing your natural beauty. Whether you’re bald or not, take pride in your appearance and carry yourself with confidence.
- Bucket List: Vineyard World Tour:
o Weeklong Rioja Vineyard Itinerary
Theme: “Go in Peace, Stand in Light”
Dates: October 7–13, 2025
Base: Elciego & Logroño, Spain
o I. Arrival and Orientation (Day 1 – Logroño)
Begin your pilgrimage by arriving in Logroño, the capital of La Rioja. Use regional bus or train services such as Estación de Autobuses de Logroño for affordable transit. Lodging is available at Berceo Rooms – Pensión Moderna for approximately $49 USD per night. In the evening, explore the famed Calle Laurel for a tapas crawl, where small plates range from $2–4 USD, offering a communal and symbolic welcome meal.
o II. Marqués de Riscal and Elciego (Day 2)
Travel by bus to Elciego to visit the iconic Marqués de Riscal winery, where tastings begin at $16 USD. This site blends ancient winemaking with modern architectural beauty. Stay at Casa Rural Rojanda for $88 USD per night, including breakfast. Dine at Taberna Gastronómica 1583, where meals range from $11–21 USD. Let this day symbolize rootedness and renewal.
o III. Vineyard Walks and Local Tastings (Day 3)
Spend the morning walking through Elciego’s vineyards, reflecting on Acts 16 and the peace of Christ. Visit Bodegas Valdelana for a free museum tour and $11 USD tasting. Lunch at La Caprichosa offers regional dishes for $21–32 USD. Close the day with sunset journaling or prayer among the vines.
o IV. Haro and Barrio de la Estación (Day 4)
Take a bus to Haro, home to the historic Barrio de la Estación. Tour CVNE and its symbolic Wine Cemetery for $16 USD. Lodging at Pensión Úbeda – Fuenmayor is available for $61 USD per night. Enjoy dinner at Bar Olano in nearby Cenicero for $11–21 USD. This day invites reflection on legacy and humility.
o V. Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Day 5)
Visit the cathedral and pilgrim museum in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a symbolic stop on the Camino. Pack a picnic from the local market and return to Logroño via regional bus. Stay at ibis budget Logroño Center for $58 USD per night. This day honors pilgrimage and penance.
o VI. Logroño and Spiritual Pause (Day 6)
Spend the day in quiet reflection. Visit the Church of San Bartolomé and walk along the Ebro River. Enjoy a menu del día at a local café for around $13 USD. In the evening, offer a vineyard reflection: “I believe and I adore.” Let this be a Marian pause before departure.
o VII. Departure and Optional Extension (Day 7)
Depart from Logroño via bus or train. If extending your stay, consider Posada Ignatius for a symbolic wine cellar visit at $66 USD per night. This final day marks the transition from vineyard to vocation—carrying peace and truth into the year ahead
Day 14 offers a profound pivot—from compassion to faith, from Kolbe’s sacrificial mercy to the quiet courage of belief in the shadows. The Christian guard at Hỏa Lò Prison (the “Hanoi Hilton”) is a lesser-known witness, but his story—of quiet kindness, whispered prayer, and hidden solidarity—embodies faith as endurance and light in captivity.
🔒 Leafing the World Behind: Day 14
Witness: The Christian Guard at Hỏa Lò Prison
Theme: Faith as Hidden Light
Virtue: Faith
Virtue Connection: Endurance in Darkness
Symbolic Act: Light a candle or lamp in a quiet space. Pray for those imprisoned—physically or spiritually.
Location: A cell, chapel, corner, or threshold—any place where light meets silence
🕊️ Introduction: On Faith
To leave the world behind is not to escape suffering—it is to endure it with light.
Today we do not demand signs—we become them.
Faith, in this rhythm, is not certainty—it is trust.
It is the quiet courage to believe when belief costs everything.
This pilgrimage is not a triumph—it is a testimony.
Each day, we leaf behind fear and despair, so that what remains is endurance: hidden, holy, and whole.
🌺 Witness of the Day: The Christian Guard at Hỏa Lò Prison
In the shadows of captivity, a Vietnamese guard whispered hope.
He was not a priest, not a prophet—just a man with faith.
He smuggled scraps of scripture, offered silent prayers, and treated POWs with dignity.
His kindness was not loud—it was luminous.
To American prisoners, he became a symbol of grace.
His faith did not free them—but it reminded them they were not forgotten.
He risked punishment to offer mercy.
He reminds us:
Faith is not always seen—it is felt.
It is the courage to believe in silence.
🛡️ Virtue Connection: Endurance in Darkness
Faith endures when light is gone.
It does not demand proof—it becomes presence.
The Christian guard’s witness was not public—it was personal.
He did not preach—he practiced.
He did not escape darkness—he lit a candle within it.
Like St. Maximilian Kolbe and Corrie ten Boom, he lived faith as resistance.
He reminds us:
Faith without endurance becomes sentiment.
But faith with endurance becomes sanctuary.
🕯️ Symbolic Act: Light a Candle for the Imprisoned
Find a quiet space.
Light a candle, lamp, or fire.
Pray for those imprisoned—by walls, by fear, by despair.
Let it be a gesture of solidarity, not spectacle.
As you pray, say:
“Lord, let my faith be light.
Let my endurance be mercy.
Let my silence be sanctuary.”
If no candle is nearby, imagine the flame in prayer.
The gesture is the same: light as sacrament.
🔥 Reflection Prompt
- Where have you lost faith in the dark?
- What hidden act of mercy has sustained you?
- Can you name one person whose quiet faith gave you strength?
Write, walk, or pray with these questions.
Let the Christian guard’s witness remind you:
Faith is not noise—it is light.
It is the endurance to believe, the mercy to act, the courage to remain.
OCTOBER 14 Tuesday
Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 36
Those that are not in Christ when they are in error seek to keep their actions a secret. Whereas a person in Christ knows all have failed and our only salvation is in God. The Philippian officials had beaten Paul, and placed him into prison without a trial, not knowing that he was a Roman and had rights. The officials wanted to keep this “mistake” a secret. They wanted peace. Like all cowards they want peace when it goes against them because no truth is in them. Seek the light of Christ which reveals all truth and you will have no fear and the peace of Christ.
The Spirits of Darkness[1] D
The ethereal we live in is filled with the angels of God but not all of them are seeking our good. There are some spirits that are not filled with the light of God; just as there are some men which are not.
Angels are no more impeccable than men. They are free as men to choose and like men underwent a trial. Every trial must be essentially costly or painful. God submitted to the angels the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God; made man for their adoration. At this revelation Lucifer known as the angel of light from the highest choir of angels a Seraph rebelled,
“I protest is my throne to be lowered?”
At the same instance one of the lesser Archangels, cried out,
“Who is like God?”
Who can refuse to believe and to adore that which He proposes, “I believe and I adore.” Pride brought the fall of the angels. The door of penance, through the merits of the Precious Blood, is open to men during the whole time of their life, while the corrupt angels found themselves immediately after their fall in the state in which sinful men will find themselves immediately after their death, facing the truth of their own trials. This thought should increase our devotion to the Precious Blood which is ever ready to cleanse us from our sins, especially in the Sacrament of Penance, and restore us to the friendship of God which is denied to the angels of darkness.
Therefore, let our
personal battle cry be that of St. Michael, the archangel, “I believe and I
adore!”
Copilot’s Take
The peace offered by the magistrates in Acts 16 is not the peace
of Christ—it is the peace of concealment. Their desire to quietly release Paul
after unlawfully beating and imprisoning him without trial reveals a deeper
spiritual truth: those outside of Christ often seek silence when exposed,
preferring secrecy over repentance. But Paul, rooted in truth, does not accept
peace without justice. His response is prophetic, not prideful—a call to
accountability that mirrors the light of Christ, which reveals all things and
casts out fear. This civic injustice becomes a symbol of spiritual cowardice,
reminding us that true peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of
truth.
In the ethereal realm, the trial of angels echoes this same
dynamic. Lucifer, once a Seraph, rejected the mystery of the Incarnation,
refusing to adore the Word made flesh. His cry—“I protest”—was not a question
of theology but of pride. In contrast, St. Michael’s humble declaration—“Who is
like God?”—became the eternal battle cry of those who choose light over
darkness. Angels, like men, are free to choose, but unlike men, they are not
granted the mercy of time. Their fall was immediate and irreversible, while
ours unfolds across a lifetime, with the door of penance ever open through the
Precious Blood of Christ. This mercy, denied to the angels of darkness, is our
daily invitation to renewal.
Thus, the reflection on Acts 16 and the rebellion of angels
converge in a single truth: peace without truth is cowardice, but truth with
mercy is Christ. Every civic failure, every spiritual rebellion, every hidden
injustice is an opportunity to stand in the light and cry out with St. Michael,
“I believe and I adore.” This cry is not merely doctrinal—it is liturgical,
sacramental, and deeply personal. It is the rhythm of a life shaped by
humility, repentance, and the ever-flowing mercy of God. Let it echo in our
vineyard rituals, our civic suppers, our daily acts of hospitality and renewal.
Let it be the breath of our ministry and the heartbeat of our October
pilgrimage.
Bible in a
Year Day 101 Signs and Wonders
Fr. Mike explains how the signs and wonders Jesus demonstrates in the Gospel
point to the truth of his identity. He also touches on Proverbs 5, especially
the last verse touching on discipline. Today's readings are John 7-9 and
Proverbs 5:15-23.
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Catholic
Politicians and Leaders
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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