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cigar and bourbon
Thu, Nov 27 – Thanksgiving (USA)
Virtue: Gratitude & Communion
Cigar: Nutty, festive (Cameroon)
Bourbon: Bardstown Fusion – rich, communal
Reflection: “What feast do I offer in thanks?”
What Feast Do I Offer in Thanks?
November 27 – Thanksgiving Monday
Liturgical Color: Green | Week of Christ the King
Mass Readings: Daily Readings – USCCB
🕯️ Opening Reflection
Gratitude is not a feeling—it’s a feast. In the Eucharist, Christ offers Himself in thanksgiving, even as betrayal looms. Today, we echo that offering. Whether our table is full or quiet, we bring bread, wine, and memory. We offer not perfection, but presence.
📖 Scriptural Lens
Psalm 116:12–13
“How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”
This is the heart of Eucharistic thanksgiving: not repayment, but reception. We lift the cup. We call His name.
🌿 Jesse Tree Overlay
Today’s branch: Noah
After the flood, Noah offers a thanksgiving sacrifice. His feast is not lavish—it’s faithful. In your devotional arc, Noah reminds us that gratitude begins with survival, and ends in offering.
🍽️ Symbolic Meal Offering
Feast of Thanks
Prepare a meal that honors Eucharistic gratitude:
- Starter: Barley soup with thyme – echoing Ruth’s humble harvest
- Main: Roasted lamb or turkey with bitter greens – sacrifice and sorrow held together
- Sides: Bread with olive oil, roasted root vegetables – Emmaus and endurance
- Drink: Red wine or cider – joy and memory
- Dessert: Honey cake or pumpkin pie – sweetness of resurrection
Include a moment of silence before the meal. Invite each guest to name one sorrow and one grace. Let the table become altar.
🐴 Witness of Reckless
Staff Sergeant Reckless did not feast—she served. Her story reminds us that thanksgiving is often carried through fire. Today, remember those who walk with us in suffering, and honor them with a place at the table.
🙏 Closing Prayer
Lord of the Harvest,
You do not ask for repayment—only reception.
Teach me to feast with humility,
To offer bread and wine with joy,
To remember those who suffer,
And to lift the cup of salvation with thanksgiving.
Amen.
Rachel’s Corner- My sister Dara was born in Hawaii-I in Germany
· do a personal eucharistic stations of the cross.
· Mauna Loa eruption began, 2022
· How to celebrate Nov 27th
o Wake up early and savor the flavor of Bavarian cream pie for breakfast.
o Visit a local zoo and consider adopting a turtle or donate to a turtle conservation organization.
o Embrace the spirit of each holiday by trying new things, whether it’s indulging in a sweet treat, creating something unique, supporting animal welfare, or learning about different traditions.
o Share your experiences on social media to spread awareness and inspire others to get involved.
o Today is Bruce Lee’s birthday so whatever you do today KICK it.
Best Place to visit in November:
A trip to the Berkshires is like jumping into the pages of an Edith Wharton novel, with Gilded Age mansions and throes of New York City weekenders. (You can even visit Wharton’s own house and gardens.) You could easily spend a few days casually exploring the region’s antique shops, farm-to-table restaurants, and luxury spas, but the main seasonal draw is, of course, the fall foliage—the trees are still colorful in mid-November here. Get the best views from the top of Mount Greylock, where you can see up to 90 miles away when the air is clear.
One of the best places to set up camp is Miraval Berkshires
in the charming town of Lenox, where horse stables and cottage-style rooms will make you feel like you’re at an upscale sleepaway camp.
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
Dinner Menu
Let’s go with Larnaca, Cyprus – “Salt and Resurrection” for your November 27 hop from Souda Bay. It’s fresh, symbolically layered, and seasonally resonant—perfect for Advent’s threshold.
🇨🇾 Larnaca, Cyprus – Salt and Resurrection
A week of Lazarus light, monastic clarity, and Mediterranean exile
1. Lodging with Legacy
Stay where salt winds meet sacred ground
· Andreas Papandreou Air Base – Space-A Info
– steps from St. Lazarus Church
· Rise Street Art Hotel – urban hospitality with rooftop views
2. Salt and Resurrection – Seven-Course Ritual Meal
A symbolic Cypriot supper rooted in exile, healing, and Eucharistic joy
1. Grilled halloumi with mint – monastic clarity and fire
2. Olive tapenade with carob bread – desert mercy and ancestral depth
3. Kolokassi (taro root stew) – hidden strength and slow healing
4. Sheftalia (grilled sausage parcels) – wrapped witness and communal joy
5. Tahini salad – bitterness transformed
6. Loukoumia (Cyprus delights) – sweetness preserved in dust
7. Rosewater mahaleb pudding – resurrection in fragrance and light
3. Symbolic Adventures
1. Church of St. Lazarus – resurrected witness and civic anchor
2. Larnaca Salt Lake – exile, flamingos, and baptismal stillness
3. Hala Sultan Tekke – Muslim pilgrimage and shared mercy
4. Kamares Aqueduct – Roman flow and civic endurance
4. Cultural Pilgrimage
· Larnaca Fort & Medieval Museum
– defense and devotion
· Pierides Museum – layers of Cypriot civilization
· Larnaca Art Workshops – icons, exile, and creative repair
5. Nature & Reflection
· Cape Greco National Park – cliffs, caves, and Eucharistic wind
· Finikoudes Beach – sunset mercy and communal joy
· Lefkara Village – lace, legend, and Marian hospitality
6. Sacred Anchors
· Stavrovouni Monastery – True Cross and desert silence
· Agios Minas Monastery – iconic clarity and rural witness
· Panagia Angeloktisti – angel-built and Eucharistic mystery
7. Firelight Finale
· Bonfires not permitted, but rose candles and rooftop vigils are welcome
· Ritual Act: Pour salt into a bowl, light a rose-scented candle, and name one exile that became resurrection
· Film Pairing: Of Gods and Men – monastic endurance and mercy in extremity
NOVEMBER 27 Thursday in the Octave of Christ the King
33 Days-Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal-Thanksgiving Day
Romans, Chapter 13, Verse 8-10
Owe nothing to anyone, except to LOVE one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit
adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and
whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, [namely]
“You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.” Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Bishop Fulton Sheen is one of his weekly addresses in February 1999 entitled "Truth - Forgotten Ideal” stated:
Submission is one of the deepest needs of the human heart. After a century and a half of false liberalism, in which it was denied that anything is true, and that it makes no difference what you believe, the world reacted to totalitarianism. It grew tired of its freedom, just as children in progressive schools grow tired of their license to do whatever they please. Freedom fatigues those who want to shirk responsibility. Then it is they look for some false god into whose hands they can throw themselves, so they will never have to think or make decisions for themselves. Nazism, Fascism, and Communism came into being during the twentieth century, as a reaction against false liberalism.
True
Audacity of Hope[1]
Saint John Paul II. He was a
man afflicted, he was a man of endurance, he stresses that Christ is our only
hope and he showed us the love of God.
Karol Wojtyla came of age at one of the darkest moments of the
twentieth century. When he was 19 years old and just commencing his university
career, the Nazis rolled through his native Poland and instigated a reign of
terror over the country. Almost immediately, the conquerors decapitated Polish
society, killing the intelligentsia outright or sending them to concentration
camps. All distinctive forms of Polish culture were cruelly suppressed, and the
church was actively persecuted. Young Wojtyla displayed heroic courage by
joining the underground seminary run by the Cardinal of Krakow and by forming a
small company of players who kept Polish literature and drama alive. Many of
his colleagues in both of these endeavors were killed or arrested in the course
of those terrible years of occupation. Sadly, the Nazi tyranny was replaced
immediately by the Communist tyranny, and Fr. Wojtyla was compelled to manifest
his courage again. In the face of harassment, unfair criticism, the threat of
severe punishment, etc., he did his priestly work, forming young people in the
great Catholic spiritual and theological tradition. Even as a bishop, Wojtyla
was subject to practically constant surveillance (every phone tapped; every
room bugged; his every movement tracked), and he was continually, in small ways
and large, obstructed by Communist officialdom. And yet he soldiered on. Of
course, as Pope, he ventured into the belly of the beast, standing athwart the
Communist establishment and speaking for God, freedom, and human rights. In
doing so, he proved himself one of the most courageous figures of the twentieth
century. Karol Wojtyla was a man who exhibited the virtue of justice to a
heroic degree. Throughout his papal years, John Paul II was the single most
eloquent and persistent voice for human rights on the world stage. In the face
of a postmodern relativism and indifferentism, John Paul took the best of the
Enlightenment political tradition and wedded it to classical Christian
anthropology. The result was a sturdy defense of the rights to life, liberty,
education, free speech, and above all, the free exercise of religion. More
persuasively than any other political figure, east or west, John Paul advocated
for justice.
George Weigel titled his magisterial biography of John Paul
II, Witness
to Hope, by identifying Karol Wojtyla with a
theological virtue. In October of 1978, the newly elected Pope John Paul II
gave his inaugural speech to a packed St. Peter’s Square. This man, who had
witnessed at first hand the very worst of the twentieth century, who had
intimate experience of how twisted and wicked human beings can be, spoke over
and over again this exhortation: “Be not afraid.” There was, of course,
absolutely no political or cultural warrant for that exhortation, no purely
natural justification for it. It could come only from a man whose heart was
filled with the supernatural sense that the Holy Spirit is the Lord of history.
Finally, was Karol Wojtyla in possession of love, the greatest of the
theological virtues? The best evidence I can bring forward is the still
breathtaking encounter that took place in a grimy Roman jail cell in December
of 1983. John Paul II sat down with Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who had, only a
year and a half before, fired several bullets into the Pope. John Paul spoke to
him, embraced him, listened to him, and finally forgave him.
Love is not a feeling or a sentiment. It is, Thomas Aquinas
reminds us, an act of the will, more precisely, willing the good of the other.
This is why the love of one’s enemies, those who are not disposed
to wish us well, is the great test of love.
Did John Paul II express love in a heroic way?
He forgave the man who tried
to kill him; no further argument need be made.
Copilot’s Take
On this Thursday in the Octave of Christ the King, which also marks
Thanksgiving Day and the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, we are
drawn into a convergence of gratitude, kingship, and mercy. Saint Paul’s words
in Romans 13 remind us that love—willed, sacrificial, and just—is the
fulfillment of the law. Fulton Sheen’s prophetic voice echoes here, warning
that false freedom leads to fatigue, and only truth can satisfy the soul’s
longing for submission. In this light, the Eucharist becomes our true feast of
thanks: not indulgence, but offering; not sentiment, but surrender. Saint John
Paul II, forged in the crucible of tyranny, lived this love heroically—teaching
us that justice is not merely a political virtue, but a Eucharistic one. His
forgiveness of his would-be assassin stands as a breathtaking witness to the
audacity of hope. Today, as we gather around tables and altars, we do not
merely remember—we participate. We lift the cup of salvation, we break the
bread of mercy, and we crown Christ not with gold, but with our submission to
love.
Thursday in the Octave of Christ
the King
·
Meditate on the virtues of Mary (Humility, Generosity,
Chastity, Patience, Temperance, Understanding/love and Wisdom. One for
each day.
·
attend Mass daily or via EWTN or the internet
·
Fast doing the Daniel fast (Monday-Saturday).
·
Exercise-Universal Man Plan.
The Virtue of Patience[2]
CHRIST
tells you:
MY
CHILD, I came down from Heaven for your salvation and perfection. Not only did
I make reparation for your sins, but I also gave you an example of the virtues
which you need in order to gain eternal life. I took upon Myself your daily
trials and difficulties, in order to show you how to deal with them.
One of the virtues
which you often need in your daily life is patience. I had to practice a great
deal of patience with the people around Me during My earthly life. I had to
bear the same things which annoy and irritate you. I bore these trials with
patience. Meditate on My patience and pray for the wisdom and strength to
imitate Me in this holy virtue.
Consider
how I treat My loyal followers. I do not send them an easy life, but one which
demands great patience, not many earthly joys, but many trials; not honors, but
contempt and hatred; not ease, but endless labors. Through their unwavering
patience they earn a crown of unending glory.
Some
are willing to suffer only what they choose to endure. Others can be patient
with certain people, but not with everyone. A truly patient man, however, makes
no exceptions and sets no conditions as to when, or with whom he will be
patient. One who possesses supernatural patience does not consider what kind of
people cause his trial; whether they are superiors, equals, or inferiors,
whether they are well meaning or malicious. He is interested only in taking
this trial as though I were handing it to him. As long as the matter does not
require him to defend his rights, or to correct the people involved, he is
willing to bear his trial for My sake.
THINK:
The supernatural virtue of patience is an act of love for God shown by the
disregard of one’s own convenience or inconvenience. It is another form of
self-giving. Jesus could have saved me with far less inconvenience to Himself.
He endured much more for me than He needed to. That was His way of showing His
love for me. If I fix my eyes on Him, I shall never again say that I can take
anything except this or that. I shall be willing to suffer anything for Jesus.
I shall lose sight of the people involved and see only Jesus.
PRAY:
Dear patient Jesus, who can describe the boundless love with which You suffered
so many trials in Your daily life? Can I think of this and still refuse to
practice greater patience in my own life? You are still practicing patience
with me, as You wait for me to come to my senses and start practicing a bit of
humility in my daily life. If I were truly humble, I would find it easy to be
patient. I deserve far worse than what I now suffer in my daily life.
Therefore, I shall be patient with the trials which come along. Someday I may
rise to a higher generosity with You. I may even reach the joy which Your
saints had in suffering for You. I must, however, begin today. I hope to face
my problems and annoyances with patience, for Your sake, my Jesus. Amen.
33 days to Christmas-Start the 33 days to
Eucharistic Glory[3]
Want to start a small group? Download our 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory Study Guide
🕊️ Day 6: Mortify the Flesh with
Strength and Grace
33
Days to Eucharistic Glory
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your
mind…” — Romans 12:2
On
this sixth day, we turn inward with resolve and outward with love. Mortifying
the flesh is not a rejection of the body, but a sanctification of desire—a way
to reorder our appetites toward the Eucharistic flame. It is a spiritual
discipline rooted in humility, vigilance, and love.
✨ Practices of Mortification (with
Charity and Clarity)
🔒 Fasting and Abstinence
- Designated Fast Days: Choose
one day this week to fast—perhaps Friday, in union with Christ’s Passion.
- Abstain from Comforts:
Surrender a small pleasure (sweets, screens, alcohol) as a quiet offering.
🙏 Acts of Discipline
- Fixed Prayer Times: Anchor your
day with morning and evening prayer, even if brief.
- Scripture Immersion: Read
Romans 12:9–10 slowly. Let it shape your interactions today.
🧘 Physical and Mental Control
- Moderation in Meals: Eat simply
and gratefully.
- Guard Your Thoughts: When
distractions arise, gently return to Christ’s presence.
🤲 Service to Others
- Charitable Priorities: Let
someone else go first. Offer your time without expectation.
- Volunteer Intentionally: Choose
one act of service this week—perhaps a phone call, a visit, or a small
donation.
📖 Reflective Practices
- Daily Examen: Before bed, ask:
“Where did I resist grace today? Where did I receive it?”
- Journaling: Note one moment of
struggle and one moment of triumph. Let both teach you.
Our Lady of the
Miraculous Medal[4]
In the year 1830, Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine
Laboure, a Daughter of Charity in Paris, and told her that God had a mission
for her. Standing upon a globe, the Virgin Mary held a golden ball which she
seemed to offer to God, and on her fingers were rings with gems that emitted
rays of light. She told St. Catherine, "These rays symbolize the graces I
shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the
graces for which souls forget to ask. The Blessed Virgin instructed St. Catherine
to have a medal made of these images, and she promised many graces to all who
wear it.
Highlights
and Things to Do:
- Read the inspiring story of the converson of Alphonse
Ratisbonne. For a an entire book on the subject see The conversion of Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne by
Bussieres, Theodore de, Baron.
- Read more
about the Miraculous Medal at the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal and obtain
a free Miraculous Medal.
- Read the
biography of St. Catherine Labouré by Fr. Joseph Dirvin, Saint Catherine Laboure of the Miraculous Medal.
Meaning of the Medal[5]
The Front
Here,
we see a woman, the Mother of God, encircled by a short and famous prayer:
"O Mary conceived without sin. . . . " Being conceived without
sin—the mystery of her Immaculate Conception—means that from the beginning this
woman was full of grace. Mary stands on a globe, the world. Around her feet a
twisted serpent, the devil, struggles for mastery. It is a conflict between
good and evil. Satan's is a world of darkness and disgrace; Mary's is a world
of light and grace. But hers is the victory won by Christ—the light of the
world. So, we see the light and grace of Christ flowing from her hands; and
those who choose grace rather than darkness turn to her for help: "pray
for us who have recourse to thee."
The Back
On
the back of the medal, we see a large letter M with a cross above it. M is for
Mary and Mother because she is indeed the Mother of God's people—a people
founded on the twelve Apostles, signified by the twelve stars arranged around
the rim. The two hearts are those of Jesus and Mary. God's message for Mary was
one of suffering "a sword will pierce your heart too"—just as the
heart of her Son would be pierced by a soldier's lance. The showing of the two
hearts in one grand alliance is a reminder of God's love for us. Mother and Son
are united in the work of redemption as Christ offers himself on the cross and
Mary stands compassionately at his feet, assenting in faith so that the world
might be saved. The medal, then, is a summary in itself of the Church's
teaching on Our Lady—a mini-catechism of the faith for everyone.
The MI Movement
One
of the most celebrated cases of a conversion, through the use of the Miraculous
Medal, was that of the agnostic, Alphonse Ratisbonne. In January 1917, while
still a seminarian at the Conventual Franciscan Friars' Seraphicum in Rome, St.
Maximilian Kolbe heard the Miraculous Medal conversion story of Ratisbonne.
This wonderful account inspired St. Maximilian to recognize the powerful role
that God had given Mary in the work of leading people to conversion and growth
in holiness. He understood that the Miraculous Medal symbolized her active
presence in the Church as Mediatrix of All Graces. For the next nine months St.
Maximilian meditated upon the Miraculous Medal, the apparition of Our Lady to
St. Catherine Laboure, and the marvel of Ratisbonne's conversion.
On
the evening of October 16, 1917, St. Maximilian was ready to put these Marian
insights into a concrete plan of action. He gathered six Franciscan companions
in a room at their seminary on Rome's Via San Teodoro to establish what he
called in Latin the Militia Immaculatae (MI), that is, the "Knights of the
Immaculata." This movement, which now numbers millions of members worldwide,
would bind people together around one compelling and fruitful ideal: spiritual
union with Mary the Immaculata. This ideal would attract various kinds and
classes of people (clergy, religious, and laity), stirring each to form a
person-to-person relationship with Mary by means of the "Act of Total
Consecration," and entrustment of self to her.
St.
Maximilian made the Miraculous Medal the insignia of the MI movement. He
recommended that people wear it as an external sign of their Total Consecration
to the Immaculata. Mindful of Mary's promise to St. Catherine that "all
who wear it will receive great graces," St. Maximilian saw the medal as a
means of safeguarding the consecration. It reminds MIs that by their
consecration they are to belong to Mary, work for her, and become one with her,
so that she might act through them as her instruments.
The
Miraculous Medal helps MIs to love Jesus through Mary, so as to hasten the
transformation of individuals, families, and society into a "civilization
of love."
Purpose of the MI:
Pursue
the conversion and growth in holiness of all people, under the sponsorship of
the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary.
May I join the MI?
All
Catholics are welcome to join. One's "work" in the MI is simply to
live the spirit of Total Consecration to Mary as taught by the saints and
popes. MIs try to bring the presence of Mary into daily life, by offering up
daily duties, prayers, sufferings, and good works for the conversion and
sanctification of souls. MIs need not attend meetings, nor pay dues, nor follow
complicated rules.
Miraculous Medal Invocation Prayer
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us
who have recourse to you, and for all who do
not have recourse to you, especially the enemies
of the Church and those recommended to you.
Meditation Prayer with the Miraculous Medal
Mary, this medal is a sign and a guarantee
of your presence. You are present because your power is present, your voice is present,
and your love is present. Therefore, O wonderful Sinless Woman and our Mystical
Mother, we call on you now to fulfill your guarantee. Bring us the great graces
you promised to those who carry this medal, especially to those who wear it
around their neck. Make us perceive our presence now and always. Make us
consciously experience your power, your love and your guidance, that in their
strength we may begin to share in your perfect response to God and to each of
his creatures and join in your war with the ancient Serpent. Help us utterly
abandon our self-centered feelings and preoccupations. Help us hear and
understand you. Teach us to listen and learn. Help us respond to you today and always;
that made one with you we might more fully respond with the rest of the Church
to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, participating in their life and unity.
Thanksgiving
Day[6]
Thanksgiving
Day is a celebration of giving thanks for the harvest and blessings of the past
year. It is a day of giving thanks to God for his many blessings and expressing
our gratitude to friends and family members. It is celebrated in the United
States. Thanksgiving Day dates back to the Reformation Period and is
accompanied by prayers, special ceremonies, and feasts. Thanksgiving is
observed on the fourth Thursday in November each year.
Thanksgiving Day
Facts & Quotes
·
The
first Thanksgiving Day feast was held in 1621 between the Plymouth colonists
and the Wampanoag Indians.
·
In
1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a
national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
·
According
to the US Government Census, in 2014, 242 million turkeys were raised in the
United States.
·
President
Franklin D. Roosevelt established the fourth Thursday in November as the
official Thanksgiving Day in 1941.
·
Thanksgiving
is almost here. It's my favorite holiday, which is surprising since I'm
no fan of giving or saying thanks. - Stephen Colbert
Thanksgiving Day Top Events and Things to
Do
·
Watch
or attend a Parade. The largest are the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in
New York and the McDonalds Thanksgiving parade in Chicago.
·
Eat
lots of traditional Thanksgiving food including turkey, cranberry sauce, and
sweet potatoes.
·
Watch
or attend a football game. Besides NFL, there are many college and high
school football games on this day.
·
Go
running or do some other form of exercise in the morning - so you won't feel so
guilty indulging in a grand Thanksgiving meal.
·
Talk
to relatives and friends by phone, email, or internet to remind them how
thankful you are that they are all part of your life.
Thanksgiving:
Plimoth Plantation Plymouth, Massachusetts[7]
At Plimoth Plantation, it’s always 1627. The living museum and its
costumed “residents” re-create New England’s first successful European
settlement as well as a Native village. Thanksgiving dinner has its roots in a
harvest celebration that 52 Pilgrims shared with 90 members of the Wampanoag
tribe in 1621, one year after the settlers sailed from England. It included
fowl (probably ducks and geese rather than turkey), venison, corn, and most
likely fresh and dried fruits and vegetables. Every fall Plimoth Plantation
re-creates a harvest meal from that period as well as serving a classic
American Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving
Antarctica 1973
from
“The Ice is Nice & chee chee is Peachy” by ME.
Growing up in Arizona and living in the
desert Thanksgiving was always sunny and usually warm as well as a little
disappointing because of no snow. In school we would sing, “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers
house we would go…through the white and wintery snow.” I had visions but no
real experience. All that change when I joined the Navy and became a structural
steelworker and was assigned to build a station for the National Science
Foundation at the geographic South Pole in October 1973. It was the summertime
in Antarctic and the sun stayed up and would not set March 1974. Although it
was the summer the temperatures still were belong zero and averaged around 45
below zero. We worked two 12 hour shifts 24 hours a day. We were in a hurry to
complete the project before the sun went down. Sundays were half days so we
could attend religious services. We were not going to stop work for
Thanksgiving or Christmas. Then all that changed.
The evening of
November 21st there was a big party that night—because by of a
proclamation from President Nixon we were having the entire Thanksgiving Day
off! The guys were excited. Some of the
guys were planning to go over to the Old South Pole Station club but I was a
little tired I thought I would just take it easy.
Proclamation 4255 - Thanksgiving Day, 1973
November 16, 1973
By the President of the United States of
America
A Proclamation
In the first
Thanksgiving, man affirmed his determination to live in God’s grace and to act
in God’s will on the shores of a new land of promise. In this Thanksgiving
season we reaffirm that determination.
Time has not dimmed,
not circumstance diminished the need for God’s hand in all that America may
justly endeavor. In times of trial and of triumph that single truth reasserts
itself, and a people who have never bowed before men go gladly to their knees in
submission to divine power, and in thanks for divine sustenance.
On this Thanksgiving
Day we mark the 10th anniversary of the tragic death of President John F.
Kennedy. As we give thanks for the bounty and goodness of our land, therefore,
let us also pause to reflect on President Kennedy’s contributions to the life
of this Nation we love so dearly.
Those who celebrated
the first thanksgiving had endured hardship and loss, but they kept alive their
hope and their faith. Throughout our history, each generation has endured
hardship and loss, but our faith and trust in God’s providence has remained undiminished.
At this first thanksgiving in twelve years in which the United States will have
been at peace, we see that God’s grace also remain undiminished. For this we
give thanks.
Now, Therefore, I,
Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States of America, in accordance with
the wish of the Congress as expressed in Section 6103 of Title 5 of the United
States Code, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 22, 1973, as a day of national
thanksgiving, and concurrently, a day of prayer for the memory of John F.
Kennedy. Let all Americans unite on this day, giving thanks for the manifold
blessings vouchsafed our people, and inviting all of those less fortunate than
ourselves to share in those blessings in God’s name, for His sake, and for our
own.
In Witness Whereof, I
have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord nineteen hundred seventy-three, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the one hundred ninety-eight.
Club 250
Brillo, my best
friend, and I decided to use the day off to head on over to the Old South Pole
ourselves. It was about a half a mile
away, but it took us a lot longer than we thought. It was slow trekking the distance through the
loose snow. Along the way, we passed a
railroad sign that some humorous people put up out there. When we got there, our intent was
After our outing we
then we headed back to our camp for our Thanksgiving dinner meticulously
prepared for our delights. It was a great feast. After we ate our Thanksgiving
meal, watched movies, and we then of course stopped off at the Last Chance
Saloon where we sang, “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers
house we would go…through the white and wintery snow.” It was indeed a
Thanksgiving to remember.
The Mass: The Perfect Thanksgiving[8]
Men have
not only prayed in thanksgiving but have offered in thanksgiving: something
that was a sign of themselves, to show they were thankful for life, were sorry
for their sins against the Giver of life, would give their lives in return, if
they might, to the One they owe so much. They made offerings in thanks for the
things that sustain life, for the preservation of life. "Abel also offered
of the firstlings of his flock, and of their
fat." . . . "So Noe went out, he and his sons,
his wife and the wives of his sons . . . all living things
went out of the ark. And Noe built an altar unto the Lord: and taking of all
cattle and fowl that were dean, offered holocausts upon the
altar. . . ." They made bloody offerings, because the
offering is a symbol of the offerer, and blood is the essence of life. Blood is
life. There were other offerings. . . . "Melchidesech,
the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the
most high God, blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who
created heaven and earth." . . . Because bread maintains
life, and wine enhances life. God told them what to sacrifice, and how to
sacrifice; but especially He told them to make the sacrifice of the Pasch,
because it was a memorial to their freedom and their protection, a memorial of
thanksgiving to the God who loved them. ". . . and it shall
be a lamb without blemish, a male, one year . . . and the
whole multitude of the children of Israel shall sacrifice it in the
evening." . . . "And this day shall be a memorial unto
you: and you shall keep it a feast to the Lord . . . for
with a strong hand the Lord hath brought you out of this place." He
brought them through water, led them by fire, fed them with manna, and when
they sinned against Him, He chastised them and accepted their sacrifices of
expiation. He made it part of their Law, their Covenant, that they were to
offer sacrifice: of reparation, of petition, of praise, of thanksgiving.
Then
Christ came.
When it
was time for the thing to happen for which, He came, He said to the Apostles:
"This is My body, which is being given for you; do this, in remembrance of
Me." And He said: "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which
shall be shed for you." This was the new covenant, the new
Pasch . . . "in My blood," He said. From
that moment on they were to make sacrifice "in My blood." The
offering is a symbol of the offerer. Blood is the essence of life. This is our
gift to offer: His Body and Blood, every day. Think of all the things the
Redemption accomplished, and do not forget this last: to put into our hands the
perfect Gift, the pure Victim — "holy and spotless, the holy bread of
everlasting life and the chalice of everlasting salvation." With the
sacrifice of Holy Mass, Catholics make their thanksgiving.
Ferdinand Magellan’s[9] three ships reached
CAPE DESIRE on November 28, 1520, and crossed
from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the straits of Magellan.
The late Senator McCain states Ferdinand Magellan
was a man who is the best example of the virtue of Aspiration.
He left the service of one king and won the support
of another so that he could pursue an ambition as big as the world he
discovered. Ferdinand Magellan claimed the most daunting and marvelous prize.
By the greatest feat of seamanship in history, he was the first European to go
around the unknown world. At court, the young Magellan received an excellent
education in the arts and sciences as well as the martial arts. In 1505, he
joined the fleet of the first Portuguese governor of India, and over the course
of several years’ service became a skilled navigator and a brave and capable
soldier of fortune. Soldiers of fortune were constantly searching for a faster
route to the prized Spice Islands. Whether Magellan had indeed reached them
while he was in service to the Portuguese crown, there is little doubt that
like all adventurers of the age, he held them as the richest prize on earth,
and surely dreamed of sharing in the wealth and reputation they offered.
Magellan believed that a passage between the Atlantic Ocean and that uncharted
sea to the west, and through it a western route to the Spice Islands, existed
at the unexplored end of the South American continent. He was determined to
locate it. On September 10, 1519, five small ships, the San Antonio, the Concepción,
the Victoria, the Santiago, and the Trinidad, carrying 265 men, a sizable
arsenal of arms and munitions, and a less-than-adequate store of food and
water, left the Spanish port of San Lucar de Barrameda for South America. The
ships’ captains were Spaniards. The fleet’s ultimate destination was kept
secret from the ships’ crews, who believed that they were sailing for South
America, and not for the unknown world beyond its shores. It would not have
been possible to find a crew willing to embark on such a perilous, if not
impossible, journey. Their Portuguese commander, Ferdinand Magellan, sailed
aboard the Trinidad, flying the imperial standard of Spain, the flag of
Castile. Only one of the ships would ever return.
Stella Maris Chapel, Cape
Horn Island
Next
to the lighthouse on Cape Horn Island lies a tiny wooden chapel dedicated to
the Blessed Virgin Mary. It serves the sacramental needs of the researchers and
staff at this station, which lies between South America’s Tierra de Fuego
and the Antarctic continent. The first Catholic, let alone human being, to
visit the area was Ferdinand Magellan on his round-the-world-trip across the
straits that still bear his name. Oddly, the 90 researchers and support staff
of the Italian Mario Zucchelli Station at Terra Nova Bay don’t have a permanent
chapel, despite lay Italian Catholics offering to build one for free. In fact,
a German shipping company offered to transport the prefab chapel to Terra Nova
Bay gratis. Despite this, the Italian government is dragging its feet, to the
detriment of the devout scientists and staff on the base. The Worldwide
Antarctic Program (WAP) is spearheading the construction of a Catholic chapel
at the base. So far, the plan is on ice.
Bible in a Year Day 149 All Is Vanity
Today we begin reading the book of Ecclesiastes! Fr. Mike helps us understand the central theme of this book of wisdom literature- the meaning of life. What truly matters in this passing life? It's only because God exists that everything matters because our choices and lives will endure into eternity. Today's readings are 1 Kings 7, Ecclesiastes 1-2, and Psalm 5.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Protection
of Life from Conception until natural death.
·
Religion
in the home: Preschool for December
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make reparations to the Holy Face
·
Rosary
[2]https://catholic-restoration.com/2019/11/30/the-virtue-of-patience/
[6]https://www.wincalendar.com/Thanksgiving-day
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