Posts
Candace’s Corner
This day in 1964 was the release date of the movie, “My Fair Lady.” It is one of my Sister Nicole’s favorite movies.
· Have something with Apple today
· National Massage Therapy Awareness Week
· Foodie: Treat yourself to some loaded nachos or create your own nacho masterpiece.
§ Snack on an apple or bake an apple pie to celebrate National Apple Day.
· End your day by indulging in a slice of pumpkin cheesecake or bake your own for a sweet finish. Enjoy the medley of activities and embrace the unexpected fun these weird holidays bring
· Spirit Hour: 10 Cocktails to Make with Maraschino Liqueur
· Pray Day 9 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
· How to celebrate Oct 21st
o Dive into the past with a Back to the Future movie marathon or read about Trafalgar Day online.
o Challenge yourself to write something creative or pen a letter to a friend on Everyone Writes Day.
· Take a moment to organize your meds and ensure everything is up to date.
- Bucket List: Vineyard World Tour:
Castilla y León Vineyard, Spain-Itinerary centered around Abadía Retuerta. This itinerary honors themes of clarity, restoration, and Eucharistic hospitality, with embedded links and realistic pricing for pilgrimage planning and communal sharing.
Weeklong Castilla y León Vineyard Itinerary
Theme: “Rooted in Mercy, Raised in Light”
Dates: October 21–28, 2025
Base: Sardón de Duero & Valladolid, Spain
I. Arrival and Orientation (Day 1 – Valladolid to Sardón de Duero)
Arrive in Valladolid via train or bus. Transfer to Sardón de Duero by taxi (approx. $28 USD). Lodging at Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine offers monastic elegance and vineyard immersion (starting at $360 USD/night). Begin with a vineyard walk and evening reflection in the cloister garden.
Symbolic Act: “Opening the Cloister”—bless the soil, name the mercy.
II. Abadía Retuerta Immersion (Day 2 – Sardón de Duero)
Enjoy a full-day visit and tasting at Abadía Retuerta, including vineyard tour, barrel room, and chapel reflection (starting at $38 USD). Lunch at Refectorio Restaurant (Michelin-starred; tasting menu approx. $120 USD).
Symbolic Act: “Fruit of Mercy”—honor Eucharistic hospitality and vineyard clarity.
III. Monastic Rhythm & Vineyard Prayer (Day 3 – Sardón de Duero)
Begin with morning prayer in the chapel. Optional spa ritual at LeDomaine’s Santuario Wellness (starting at $65 USD). Afternoon vineyard journaling and symbolic naming of varietals.
Symbolic Act: “Sanctify the Rows”—walk, name, and bless each vine.
IV. Valladolid & Civic Renewal (Day 4 – Valladolid)
Travel to Valladolid (30 min). Visit the National Sculpture Museum and Cathedral. Lunch at La Parrilla de San Lorenzo ($28–42 USD). Lodging at Hotel Boutique Gareus ($98 USD/night).
Symbolic Act: “Stone and Spirit”—reflect on civic beauty and sacred legacy.
V. Ribera del Duero Vineyards (Day 5&6 – Peñafiel)
Day trip to Peñafiel. Tour Bodegas Protos (tasting from $16 USD) and visit the Wine Museum in Peñafiel Castle. Picnic among the vines.
Symbolic Act: “Legacy and Light”—honor vineyard saints and civic stewards.
Symbolic Act: “I believe and I adore”—pause in vineyard clarity.
o VII. Departure and Optional Extension (Day 7 – Valladolid or Salamanca)
Depart via Valladolid. Optional extension to Salamanca for civic pilgrimage and university reflection. Lodging at Hospes Palacio de San Esteban ($112 USD/night).
Symbolic Act: “Sending Forth”—carry vineyard mercy into civic vocation.
· Here is a 7-course meal inspired by your Castilla y León Vineyard itinerary, each course choreographed to reflect the themes of clarity, restoration, and Eucharistic hospitality. The dishes draw from traditional Castilian-Leonese cuisine and align with the symbolic acts of each day, offering a culinary pilgrimage rooted in mercy and raised in light.
🍷 Seven-Course Vineyard Supper: “Rooted in Mercy, Raised in Light”
Location: Sardón de Duero & Valladolid, Spain
Dates: October 21–28, 2025
Theme: Eucharistic clarity, monastic rhythm, civic renewal
🥂 1. Aperitif – Vermouth de Toro with Marcona Almonds
Day 1 – Arrival & Orientation
A classic Castilian aperitif served with lightly salted almonds.
🔗 Spanish Vermouth Guide
🔗 Marcona Almonds
Symbolic Act: Opening the Cloister—bless the soil, name the mercy.
🥓 2. Appetizer – Torreznos de Soria (Crispy Pork Belly)
Day 2 – Abadía Retuerta Immersion
A beloved Castilian tapa—crispy, golden pork belly with smoky depth.
🔗 Torreznos Recipe
Symbolic Act: Fruit of Mercy—honor Eucharistic hospitality.
🥣 3. Soup – Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup with Poached Egg)
Day 3 – Monastic Rhythm
A humble, warming soup of garlic, paprika, and bread—monastic and restorative.
🔗 Sopa de Ajo Recipe
Symbolic Act: Sanctify the Rows—walk, name, and bless each vine.
🥬 4. Salad – Judiones de la Granja (White Bean Salad with Olive Oil & Herbs)
Day 4 – Valladolid & Civic Renewal
A hearty bean dish served chilled or warm, honoring civic simplicity.
🔗 Judiones Recipe
Symbolic Act: Stone and Spirit—reflect on civic beauty.
🍖 5. Main Course – Lechazo Asado (Roast Suckling Lamb)
Day 5 – Ribera del Duero Vineyards
The region’s iconic dish—tender lamb roasted in a wood-fired oven.
🔗 Lechazo Recipe
Symbolic Act: Legacy and Light—I believe and I adore.
🧀 6. Cheese Course – Queso de Burgos with Quince Paste
Day 6 – Vineyard Reflection
Fresh sheep’s milk cheese paired with sweet membrillo.
🔗 Queso & Membrillo Pairing
Symbolic Act: Vineyard clarity and Eucharistic pause.
🍮 7. Dessert – Yemas de Santa Teresa (Egg Yolk Sweets)
Day 7 – Departure & Sending Forth
A traditional dessert from Ávila—rich, golden, and symbolic of light.
🔗 Yemas Recipe
Symbolic Act: Sending Forth—carry vineyard mercy into civic vocation.
Here is Day 21: St. Francis de Sales — Discernment with Gentleness and Clarity, choreographed to deepen the rhythm of Leafing the World Behind, where the creative mind becomes a vessel of peace, precision, and pastoral wisdom.
🌊 Leafing the World Behind: Day 22
Witness: St. Francis de Sales
Theme: Discernment with Gentleness and Clarity
Virtue: Discernment
Virtue Connection: Peaceful Precision
Symbolic Act: Make one decision today with gentleness. Pause before you choose. Let clarity guide you, not urgency.
Location: A writing desk, a vineyard gate, a chapel pew—any place where decisions become devotion.
🕊️ Introduction: On Discernment
Discernment is not indecision—it is intentionality.
It is not hesitation—it is holy pause.
To leaf the world behind is to choose with peace, to act with clarity, to decide with love.
Today, we do not rush—we reflect.
Discernment, in this rhythm, is not calculation—it is communion.
It is the courage to say: “Lord, guide my choosing.”
🌺 Witness of the Day: St. Francis de Sales
Francis was a bishop, writer, and spiritual director in 17th-century France.
He led with gentleness, wrote with clarity, and counseled with peace.
His Introduction to the Devout Life became a guide for laypeople seeking holiness in daily life.
He once said:
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.”
He believed that clarity comes not from force, but from faith.
Francis reminds us:
Discernment is not about knowing everything—it is about trusting the right things.
It is not about control—it is about communion.
It is not about speed—it is about sanctity.
🛡️ Virtue Connection: Peaceful Precision
Discernment becomes virtue when it is gentle, clear, and rooted in love.
When it listens before it speaks.
When it pauses before it acts.
Francis did not lead with dominance.
He led with devotion.
He reminds us:
Discernment without gentleness becomes judgment.
But discernment with gentleness becomes wisdom.
🕯️ Symbolic Act: Choose with Peace
Make one decision today with intentional gentleness.
Pause. Pray. Reflect.
Let clarity guide you.
As you act, say:
“Lord, let my discernment be gentle.
Let my gentleness be clear.
Let my clarity be peace.”
If no decision arises, reflect on one you’ve made recently.
Let your reflection be a prayer.
🔥 Reflection Prompt
Where have you rushed to decide?
What fear drives your urgency?
Can you name one moment when gentleness led you to clarity?
Write, walk, or pray with these questions.
Let St. Francis de Sales remind you:
Discernment is not weakness—it is witness.
It is the strength to pause, the grace to choose, the love to lead with peace.
OCTOBER
21 Tuesday
Trafalgar Day
Romans,
Chapter 12, Verse 18
If possible, on your part, live at PEACE with all.
It
is fair that we recount how God has removed our faults and how he imputes no
guilt on us when we sincerely repent and turn away from our sins and ask for
forgiveness. Once He has freed us, it is then that we can gratefully receive
the counsels of the Holy Spirit which show us our path and gives us peace with
God, ourselves and others.
Do not plot evil against your neighbors, when they live at peace
with you. Proverbs 3: 29
The Shema Yisrael which is the same prayer the Christ prayed every morning and tells us that God is to be loved.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your Heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind, and with all your strength.
Christ is the living example of God’s love for us. His heart could not rest until He repaid our debt. His soul was so tormented for love of us that He sweated blood in the garden for us. His mind was ever on us when He multiplied the loaves or healed the sick and with all His strength, He offered his life as an eternal sacrifice before the Father. He for love of us took the cup and drank it to the dregs during His passion.
To help us understand this love of His for us is the mission of the Confraternity of the Passion International[1] who document the full suffering of our Lord to show us how we are loved.
Copilot’s Take
On October 21—Trafalgar Day—we are invited not only to remember acts of courage and sacrifice, but to embody the deeper peace that scripture calls us to. “If possible, on your part, live at peace with all” (Romans 12:18) is not a passive suggestion, but a bold invitation to live reconciled—with God, with ourselves, and with our neighbors. Christ Himself modeled this peace in every dimension of His being: His heart, restless until our debt was repaid; His soul, tormented in Gethsemane; His mind, attentive to healing and provision; His strength, poured out in sacrifice. The Shema Yisrael, which He prayed each morning, reminds us that love of God is total—heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we repent and receive forgiveness, we become vessels of that love, guided by the Holy Spirit toward peace. Let this day be a living prayer: a refusal to plot evil, a commitment to mercy, and a remembrance of the Passion that reveals how deeply we are loved.
Trafalgar Day[2]
A British commemoration of the victory of
the Royal Navy over the French and Spanish fleets, Trafalgar Day seeks to pay
honor to this important occasion that was a pivotal point in history. History
buffs, navy fans, and just average people can all find ways to learn more and
enjoy marking this momentous event!
Responsibility-Lord Horatio Nelson
Lord Nelson who was the personification of
a person who displays the characteristic of RESPONSIBILITY. Nelson was a man
who did not play small he took to heart the adage that to be responsible
one must respond with their ability (response/ability). Sometimes he
disobeyed orders when he knew there was a better and smarter way to defeat the
enemy; he had all faith and all courage. McCain said of Lord Nelson that he
was, “The bold and brave admiral who taught men how to fight and made the
British Navy the most powerful in the world” Nelson was known for his
creative disobedience that is the courage to disobey if the situation was
warranted. Nelson never just ran head long into battle. No, if he
disobeyed it was daring and would not have wasted the precious lives of his
men. His men knew this, and they had the greatest trust and regard in him. Lord
Nelson also had the greatest affectionate regard for those with which he
served. His men loved him and followed him into battle willingly.
Bible in a Year Day 108 Saul’s Vanity
Fr. Mike highlights Saul's brokenness and vanity as he makes an unlawful
sacrifice and a rash oath in order to save Israel in the midst of war. Today's
readings are 1 Samuel 13-14, and Psalm 58.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: For
the intercession of the angels and saints
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
No comments:
Post a Comment