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Dara’s Corner
· Since today is the Feast of St. John Paul II and one of the greatest Popes in the last century I am going to use this corner to make a study of his “Fides et Ratio — Faith and Reason” encyclical.
o Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves
§ INTRODUCTION
· “KNOW YOURSELF”
1. In both East and West, we may trace a journey which has led humanity down the centuries to meet and engage truth more and more deeply. It is a journey which has unfolded—as it must—within the horizon of personal self-consciousness: the more human beings know reality and the world, the more they know themselves in their uniqueness, with the question of the meaning of things and of their very existence becoming ever more pressing. This is why all that is the object of our knowledge becomes a part of our life. The admonition Know yourself was carved on the temple portal at Delphi, as testimony to a basic truth to be adopted as a minimal norm by those who seek to set themselves apart from the rest of creation as “human beings”, that is as those who “know themselves”.
Moreover, a cursory glance at ancient history shows clearly how in different parts of the world, with their different cultures, there arise at the same time the fundamental questions which pervade human life:
Who am I?
Where have I come from and where am I going?
Why is there evil?
What is there after this life?
These are the questions which we find in the sacred writings of Israel, as also in the Veda and the Avesta; we find them in the writings of Confucius and Lao-Tze, and in the preaching of Tirthankara and Buddha; they appear in the poetry of Homer and in the tragedies of Euripides and Sophocles, as they do in the philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle. They are questions which have their common source in the quest for meaning which has always compelled the human heart. In fact, the answer given to these questions decides the direction which people seek to give to their lives. (to be continued)
· Foodie
o Today is National Nut Day. Walnuts are considered one of the healthiest nuts. Walnuts contain the most omega-3 fatty acids. Walnuts also contain antioxidants that promote immune system health. Stock up on your favorite nuts and enjoy them throughout the day.
o Make Recipes with ginger, turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon
· Spirit Hour: Salome Cocktail
🌍 Dara’s Corner: Aboard The World
East African Coastal Pilgrimage — October 22–28, 2025
Theme: Thresholds of Mercy & Pilgrimage of the Heart
Coordinates: Departing Ras Kamboni (–1.6200 S / 41.5833 E), sailing north toward Mogadishu, Hobyo, and Cape Guardafui
🕊️ Day 1: October 22 — Offshore Ras Kamboni
• Final Meal: Coastal fusion—grilled seafood, coconut flatbread, rosewater tea
• Final Psalm: “The Lord will guard your going and your coming…” (Psalm 121)
• Benediction: Each pilgrim receives a shell—etched with a word of grace
🪨 Day 2: October 23 — Sailing toward Mogadishu, Somalia
• Morning Ritual: Blessing of feet—anointing with myrrh and seawater
• Meal: Somali goat stew, flatbread, tamarind juice
• Reflection: “To walk in mercy is to leave no wound behind.”
• Hospitality Arc: Write a prayer for a forgotten city; place it in the ship’s chapel
🌬️ Day 3: October 24 — Offshore Hobyo
• Sunrise Psalm: “He makes the winds His messengers…” (Psalm 104)
• Symbolic Meal: Spiced lentils, roasted eggplant, cinnamon rice
• Evening Ritual: Wind lanterns—each flame a prayer for the displaced
• Reflection: “The Spirit moves where it wills—follow gently.”
🛶 Day 4: October 25 — Approaching Cape Guardafui
• Pilgrimage Station: Prayer for sailors, migrants, and those lost at sea
• Meal: Coastal crab curry, millet bread, mango lassi
• Hospitality Arc: Offer a blessing to the ocean—release petals from the deck
• Evening Psalm: “Deep calls to deep…” (Psalm 42)
🪞 Day 5: October 26 — Sailing the Horn of Africa
• Morning Silence: Fast of mirrors—no reflection, only presence
• Symbolic Meal: Sweet potato mash, grilled sardines, hibiscus tea
• Reflection: “To see clearly is to forget yourself.”
• Hospitality Arc: Offer a silent act of service to someone aboard
🕯️ Day 6: October 27 — Offshore Alula, Puntland
• Dawn Anointing: Oils of cedar and salt—prayer for endurance
• Meal: Grilled camel meat, rice with dates, cardamom coffee
• Reflection: “Endurance is not survival—it is the grace to remain.”
• Evening Ritual: Candle procession—each flame a prayer for perseverance
🌅 Day 7: October 28 — Sailing toward Socotra Island
• Closing Psalm: “You have enlarged my heart…” (Psalm 119:32)
• Final Meal: Yemeni fusion—lamb mandi, honey bread, rosewater tea
• Benediction: Each pilgrim receives a scroll—inscribed with a virtue for the next voyage
• Hospitality Arc: Share one grace received this week—offer it aloud at sunset
Here’s a classic 7-course meal for this week’s travel
🌿 1. Aperitif – Sparkling Tamarind Tonic
A refreshing welcome drink to awaken the senses and honor the journey’s beginning.
🔗 Tamarind Sparkler Recipe
Symbolic Arc: Threshold of clarity
🥗 2. Appetizer – Baobab Citrus Salad with Hibiscus Vinaigrette
A vibrant mix of greens, baobab fruit, and citrus segments dressed in hibiscus.
🔗 Baobab Salad Inspiration
Symbolic Arc: Mercy in motion
🥣 3. Soup – Spiced Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup
Warm, comforting, and layered with East African spice.
🔗 Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
Symbolic Arc: Healing memory
🥬 4. Salad – Tamarind Slaw with Pickled Mango
Crunchy cabbage and carrots tossed in tamarind dressing, topped with mango ribbons.
🔗 Tamarind Slaw Inspiration
Symbolic Arc: Reverence in restraint
🍽️ 5. Main Course – Somali Spiced Lamb with Raisin Rice
Tender lamb infused with xawaash spices, served over fragrant rice.
🔗 Somali Lamb & Rice
Symbolic Arc: Fortitude and lament
🧀 6. Cheese Course – Goat Cheese with Honey & Cardamom Crackers
A gentle interlude before dessert, pairing tang with sweetness.
🔗 Cardamom Crackers
Symbolic Arc: Discernment and delight
🍰 7. Dessert – Banana Fritters with Rosewater Syrup
Crisp, golden fritters drizzled with floral syrup—a joyful finale.
🔗 Banana Fritters
🔗 Rosewater Syrup
Symbolic Arc: Joy in the Spirit
Here is Day 22: St. Augustine — Aspiration as Restless Pursuit of Truth, choreographed to deepen the rhythm of Leafing the World Behind, where the creative mind becomes a vessel of longing, intellect, and sacred fire.
🌊 Leafing the World Behind: Day 23
Theme: Aspiration as Restless Pursuit of Truth
Virtue: Aspiration
Virtue Connection: Holy Restlessness
Symbolic Act: Name one longing that still stirs your soul. Write it as a prayer. Let it be unfinished.
Location: A shoreline, a study, a vineyard row—any place where longing meets light.
🕊️ Introduction: On Aspiration
Aspiration is not ambition—it is ache.
It is not striving—it is seeking.
To leaf the world behind is to let longing lead, to let desire deepen, to let restlessness become revelation.
Today, we do not suppress longing—we sanctify it.
Aspiration, in this rhythm, is not escape—it is Eucharist.
It is the courage to say: “My heart is restless until it rests in You.”
🌺 Witness of the Day: St. Augustine
Augustine was a philosopher, bishop, and seeker.
He chased pleasure, prestige, and power—until he met Truth.
His Confessions are a map of holy restlessness, a journal of longing turned to love.
He wrote:
“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
He reminds us:
Aspiration is not a flaw—it is a flame.
It is not a distraction—it is devotion.
It is not weakness—it is witness.
🛡️ Virtue Connection: Holy Restlessness
Aspiration becomes virtue when it is ordered toward truth.
When it does not settle for comfort.
When it seeks communion.
Augustine did not silence his longing.
He sanctified it.
He reminds us:
Aspiration without direction becomes noise.
But aspiration with direction becomes holiness.
🕯️ Symbolic Act: Write the Unfinished Prayer
Name one longing that still stirs your soul.
Write it down.
Do not resolve it.
Let it remain open.
As you write, say:
“Lord, let my longing be holy.
Let my restlessness be ordered.
Let my ache be communion.”
If no longing comes, pray for those who seek truth in silence.
Let your prayer be a lighthouse.
🔥 Reflection Prompt
Where have you feared your own longing?
What truth still eludes you?
Can you name one moment when restlessness led you closer to God?
Write, walk, or pray with these questions.
Let St. Augustine remind you:
Aspiration is not weakness—it is witness.
It is the strength to seek, the grace to ache, the love to pursue truth.
OCTOBER
22 Wednesday
ST JOHN PAUL II
Romans,
Chapter 14, Verse 17-19
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, PEACE, and joy in the holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others. Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another.
Elisha Otis sold his first elevator in 1853 which made rising to the top of high buildings faster and easier. Likewise, this verse has a nugget of wisdom that helps us to find an elevator to spiritual advancement. To quickly rise in grace be righteous, be at peace and be joyful. Three steps easy to remember but not so easy to do.
Righteousness[1]The Virtues
1803 "Whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy
of praise, think about these things."62
A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It
allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of
himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and
spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.
The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.
I. The Human Virtues
1804 Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable
dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our
actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and
faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good
life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.
The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit
and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being
for communion with divine love.
The Cardinal Virtues
1805 Four
virtues play a pivotal role and accordingly are called "cardinal";
all the others are grouped around them. They are prudence, justice, fortitude,
and temperance. "If anyone loves righteousness, [Wisdom's] labors are
virtues; for she teaches temperance and prudence, justice, and courage." These virtues are praised under other
names in many passages of Scripture.
1806 Prudence is the virtue that
disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to
choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is
going." "Keep sane and
sober for your prayers." Prudence
is "right reason in action," writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following
Aristotle.67 It is not
to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It
is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it
guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that
immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and
directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this
virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome
doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.
1807 Justice is the moral virtue
that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and
neighbor. Justice toward God is called the "virtue of religion."
Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish
in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons
and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures,
is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct
toward his neighbor. "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the
great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor." "Masters, treat your slaves
justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."
1808 Fortitude is the moral virtue
that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good.
It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in
the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear
of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce
and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. "The Lord is my
strength and my song." "In
the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world."
1809 Temperance is the moral virtue
that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of
created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires
within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive
appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not
follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your
heart." Temperance is often
praised in the Old Testament: "Do not follow your base desires but
restrain your appetites." In
the New Testament it is called "moderation" or "sobriety."
We ought "to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world."
To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one's heart, with all one's soul
and with all one's efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole
and uncorrupted (through temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is
fortitude). It obeys only [God] (and this is justice), and is careful in
discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this is
prudence).
Copilot’s
Take
On October 22, the
Church honors St. John Paul II—a man whose life radiated righteousness, peace,
and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14 reminds us that the Kingdom of God is not
built on externals, but on the interior architecture of virtue. Like Elisha Otis’s
elevator, which lifted people to new heights in 1853, this verse offers a
spiritual mechanism for ascent: righteousness, peace, and joy. These are not
passive traits but active virtues—habits of the heart that elevate us toward
God. The cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance—form the
scaffolding of this ascent. They guide our choices, steady our passions, and
shape our conduct into a living witness of divine love. To live well, as St.
John Paul II showed us, is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and
strength—and to let that love lift others.
St. John Paul II (1920-2005).[2] Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. After his ordination to the priesthood and theological studies in Rome, he returned to his homeland and resumed various pastoral and academic tasks. He became first auxiliary bishop and, in 1964, Archbishop of Krakow and took part in the Second Vatican Council. On October 16, 1978, he was elected pope and took the name John Paul II. His exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people and the sick, led him to numerous pastoral visits throughout the world. Among the many fruits which he has left as a heritage to the Church are above all his rich Magisterium and the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and for the Eastern Churches. In Rome on April 2, 2005, the eve of the Second Sunday of Easter (or of Divine Mercy), he departed peacefully in the Lord.
Bible in a
Year Day 109 A Heart of Obedience
As we continue to read about Saul's vanity and disobedience, Fr. Mike
emphasizes the importance of the virtue of obedience in our relationship with
God. He also points out how God chose David to be anointed as king because
David was a man after God's own heart. Today's readings are 1 Samuel 15-16 and
Psalm 61.
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.
· Do Day 16 of the Consecration to St. Joseph.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Increase of
Vocations to the Holy Priesthood.
·
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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