Saturday, January 3, 2026

· Full Wolf Moon

o According to the almanac today we are having a Full Wolf Moon; plan to go with your children or grandchildren around a fire and howl a little at the moon having fun together. Also, you could sit down together and listen to the music from Peter and the Wolf. As a child this was one of my favorite record albums that I would make my mother play repeatedly much to her distress.

Vinny’s Corner-Mel Gibson’s Birthday 1956

Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.

(1 John 4:8)

· International Mind-Body Wellness Day

· John Ronald Reuel Tolkien Day

· Festival of Sleep Day

Around the World in Perfect Weather: A 52‑Week Dream Trip

🎨 Valparaíso • Neruda’s Bohemian Port
January 3 – January 10, 2026

Jan 3 – Arrival in Valparaíso
• Travel: Easy coastline drive or short flight north from Bariloche/Santiago (_{$120–$180 one‑way)
• Lodging:}_{Hotel Da Vinci Valparaíso}₍$95/night) – boutique stay in the historic quarter
• Meals: ~$60/day (seafood empanadas + local wine)
• Symbolic Act: Journal on “Port of arrival” — reflect on thresholds and beginnings

Jan 4 – Hillside Colors & Neruda’s House (Sunday, Epiphany Vigil)
• Visit: La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda’s House – museum of poetry and views
• Mass: Iglesia de la Matriz de Valparaíso — Sunday Mass (Epiphany Vigil)
• Lodging: Hotel Da Vinci (~$95/night)
• Meals: ~$65/day (harbor café lunch + bohemian supper)
• Tickets: ~$10 entry
• Symbolic Act: Sketch a hillside mural as a symbol of layered stories

Jan 5 – Feast of the Epiphany (Holy Day of Obligation)
• Mass: Catedral de Valparaíso — Epiphany Mass
• Visit: Cerro Concepción — panoramic views and street art
• Lodging: Hotel Da Vinci (~$95/night)
• Meals: ~$70/day (celebratory Epiphany supper with seafood and citrus)
• Symbolic Act: Journal on “Light to the nations” — reflect on the Magi’s journey in a port city

Jan 6 – Port & Market Communion
• Visit: Mercado Cardonal — bustling local market
• Mass: Daily Mass at 11:00 AM or 8:00 PM
• Lodging: Hotel Da Vinci (~$95/night)
• Meals: ~$60/day (market lunch + seafood supper)
• Symbolic Act: Share fruit or bread with fellow travelers

Jan 7 – Civic Art & Street Murals
• Walk: Cerro Alegre — famous street art neighborhoods
• Mass: Daily Mass at 11:00 AM or 8:00 PM
• Lodging: Hotel Da Vinci (~$95/night)
• Meals: ~$65/day (street café lunch + wine bar dinner)
• Symbolic Act: Journal on “Walls that speak” — reflect on civic joy

Jan 8 – Coastal Rest & Reflection
• Visit: Playa Las Torpederas — quiet beach near the port
• Mass: Daily Mass at 11:00 AM or 8:00 PM
• Lodging: Hotel Da Vinci (~$95/night)
• Meals: ~$60/day (beach picnic + farewell supper)
• Symbolic Act: Journal on “Rest after Epiphany” — pause in the light of revelation

Jan 9 – Ascensor & Panoramic Farewell
• Visit: Ascensor Artillería — historic funicular with panoramic views

• Mass: Daily Mass at 11:00 AM or 8:00 PM
• Lodging: Hotel Da Vinci (~$95/night)
• Meals: ~$65/day (harbor café lunch + farewell dinner)
• Tickets: ~$1.50 funicular ride
• Symbolic Act: Write a closing note of gratitude and leave it at the port

Jan 10 – Departure from Valparaíso
• Travel: Return to Santiago (~$120–$180 one‑way)
• Meals: ~$60/day (light breakfast + airport lunch)
• Symbolic Act: Journal on “Port of departure” — reflect on transitions and onward journeys

💰 Cost Snapshot (Jan 3–10 Valparaíso Week)

Lodging (7 nights): ~$665

Meals (7 days): ~$445–$460

Tickets/Activities: ~$25–$30

Local Transport (funiculars, buses): ~$50–$70

Flight/Drive Santiago → Valparaíso: ~$120–$180 per person

➡️ Total per person: ~$1,300–$1,400 for the Valparaíso week

January 3 First Saturday

Holy Name of Jesus-10^th Day of Christmas-Full Wolf Moon

Genesis, Chapter 28, Verse 17

He was AFRAID and said, 'How awe-inspiring this place is! This is nothing less than the abode of God, and this is the gate of heaven!'

This verse is about Jacob, who was the grandson of Abraham and he was on a journey to the ancestral home of Abraham, Haran. During this journey he had a dream while sleeping in the desert that put him in a Holy fear. Almost all fear is destructive but holy fear is the beginning of wisdom and prepares one to do the will of God. A holy fear helps us to have a great respect for life in all its stages from the child that goes in the mother’s womb to the elderly that are approaching their end of life. Holy fear also encompasses a great respect for the earth and all its creatures. The earth in its grandeur reminds us of the awe of our God. Make plans to go out to some awe-inspiring place to experience heavens gates. Holy fear compels us to protect others and nature; realizing that the earth and each life in it are sacred and deserving of protection.

Copilot’s Take

Jacob wakes from his desert dream trembling, not with the panic that scatters a man, but with the holy fear that gathers him. “How awe‑inspiring this place is… this is the gate of heaven.” On the tenth day of Christmas, under the Full Wolf Moon, the Church whispers the Holy Name of Jesus — the Name before which every fear is sifted, sorted, and redeemed. Jacob’s fear becomes reverence; his loneliness becomes encounter; his stone pillow becomes an altar. Holy fear does this: it reorders the heart so we can recognize the sacred in front of us — the unborn child, the aging parent, the stranger, the land itself. It teaches us that creation is not raw material but entrusted gift, that every life bears the imprint of the One whose Name we invoke today. On this First Saturday, let Jacob’s awakening become our own. Go somewhere that stirs awe — a canyon overlook, a winter field, a quiet chapel — and let the veil thin. Holy fear is not the dread that shrinks us but the clarity that enlarges us, reminding us that we walk daily on the threshold of heaven, and that our task is to guard what God calls good.

First Saturday Devotion^{^[1]}

The practice of the First Saturday devotion was requested by Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, multiple times starting in 1917. She said to Lucia, the oldest of the three children: “I shall come to ask . . . that on the First Saturday of every month, Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world.” Years later she repeated her request to Sr. Lucia, the only one still living of the three young Fatima seers, while she was a postulant sister living in a convent in Spain: “Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at very moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the rosary, and keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the 15 mysteries of the rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.”

Conditions to Fulfill the First Saturday Devotion

There are five requirements to obtain this promise from the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, one should:

1. Have the intention of consoling the Immaculate Heart in a spirit of reparation.

2. Go to confession (within eight days before or after the first Saturday).

3. Receive Holy Communion.

4. Say five decades of the Holy Rosary.

5. Meditate for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary with the goal of keeping Our Lady company (for example, while in church or before an image or statue of Our Lady).

Read How to Make Your First Saturday Rosary Meditation According to Sr. Lucia

Why Five Saturdays?

Our Lord appeared to Sr. Lucia on May 29, 1930, and gave her the reason behind the five Saturdays devotion. It is because there are five types of offenses and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

1. Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception

2. Blasphemies against Our Lady’s perpetual virginity

3. Blasphemies against her divine maternity, in refusing at the same time to recognize her as the Mother of men

4. Blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children, indifference or scorn or even hatred of their Immaculate Mother

5. Offenses of those who outrage Our Lady directly in her holy images

Never think that Jesus is indifferent to whether or not His mother is honored!

The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus[2]

Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus was originally reserved to the Feast of the Circumcision, since it was at His circumcision that our Lord received His name. But because of the growth of this devotion, a separate feast was instituted, first by the Franciscans in the seventeenth century, then by the universal Church (its date was permanently fixed by Pope St. Pius X). One of the most cherished customs of this feast is singing the hymn, Jesu, Dulcis Memoria by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the great medieval monk and tireless promoter of devotion to the Holy Name. The Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, recited either after Mass or in procession, is also a popular devotion.

Holy Name of Jesus[3]

The Name Jesus as had been foretold by the angel. The feast is meant to impress on us Christians the dignity of the Holy Name.

What did a name signify originally?

The name should express the nature of a thing. Thus, Adam in paradise gave the animals names in accordance with their being. Among the Jews God's name expressed His essence, Yahweh, i.e., I (alone) am who am (and cause all else to be). The Jews had the highest respect for the name of God, a reverence that finds continuation in the Our Father: "Hallowed be Thy Name." Persons who played prominent roles in the history of salvation often received their names from God Himself. Adam — man of the earth; Eve — mother of all the living; Abraham — father of many nations; Peter — the rock. The Savior's precursor was given the name God assigned him. According to divine precedent, then, the name of the Redeemer should not be accidental, of human choosing, but given by God Himself. For His name should express His mission. We read in Sacred Scripture how the angel Gabriel revealed that name to Mary: "You shall call His name Jesus." And to St. Joseph the angel not merely revealed the name but explained its meaning: "You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." The Messiah should not only be the savior but should be called Savior. With Jesus, therefore, the name actually tells the purpose of His existence. This is why we must esteem His name as sacred. Whenever we pronounce it, we ought to bow our heads; for the very name reminds us of the greatest favor we have ever received, salvation.

Jesus[4]

His name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He was conceived in the womb." LUKE ii. 21.

1. It is not difficult to meditate upon the Holy Name, or to use the Holy Name in prayer. More than any other name, perhaps alone among all proper names, it is appropriate to the One Who owned it. Usually, the names of men are given at random; they mean nothing in themselves; a man who happens to be called John might just as well have been called Thomas or William; the mere name tells us nothing about him; it is a convenient means of distinguishing him from others, a label put upon him and little or no more With a few human beings it has been otherwise: Adam, Abraham, Josue, John the Baptist were given names that signified the men on whom they were bestowed. But with none is this so true as it is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With care the Angel impressed it on His Mother's mind: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus," he said, and there followed the description of His future greatness. With care it was repeated to Joseph: Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.

2. The Name stands as a complete summary and description of our Lord's character and office, and it is under this aspect that it has been regarded by thousands of saints, whose hearts have melted at its mere sound. To them Jesus is their God, Jesus is their King, Jesus is their Redeemer, Jesus is their Mediator, Jesus is their Savior, Jesus is their great Priest, Jesus is their Intercessor, Jesus is the Captain under Whom they fight, Jesus is the Leader Whom they follow, Jesus is their Teacher, Jesus is the Giver of their law, Jesus is the Spouse and Shepherd of their souls, Jesus is their Light, Jesus is their Life, Jesus is the Judge before Whom they rejoice to think that they must one day stand, Jesus is their final and eternal Reward, for which alone they live.

3. But He is also to them the mirror of all the most glorious and winning virtues. He is, and His Name tells them that He is, unbounded Charity, infinite Mercy, extremist Kindness, deepest Humility, most devoted Piety, transparent Simplicity, uttermost Poverty, Chastity without a stain. It is the prerogative of love to transform those who love into the likeness of Him Whom they love; and as the mere name of one who is loved cannot sound in the ear or be thought of in the mind without adding to the love which is already there, so the thought of the Holy Name and the mention of the Holy Name have a kind of sacramental power in the hearts of His saints. They seem to convey the grace which enables men to think like Him, to speak like Him, to act like Him, to sacrifice themselves like Him, and to Him, and for Him, and along with Him, to make Him known to others, not by word only, but also by reproduction of Him in themselves, and to win all men to love Him.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within thee bless His Holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done for thee. Ps. cii. i, 2.

Names are important.^{^[5]}

Most of us remember the elementary school playground and the mean names kids called each other. Author and speaker, Kary Oberbrunner, states that we all have a secret name that the One who made us gives us. Oberbrunner said, “My name is Kary, and I have a girl’s name.” He was no stranger to mean names on the playground. He went on to say that each of us has three names:

Our birth name – the name assigned to us when we arrive in this world.
Our given names – the names assigned to us as we walk through the world. These names can be positive and negative, ranging from successful, beautiful, star athlete to those names assigned by mean kids, like concentration camp victim, stupid, addict.
Our secret name – the name granted to us by God, Oberbrunner said the problem is our birth names and given names don’t ever fill up the void inside us. We pretend and wear masks.

What would God call you?

When Christ called his apostles; He revealed to some of them God’s name for them. Sons of Thunder for John and James and for Simon son of John, He called him Peter which means “Rock”.

Christmas Calendar[6]

Read "But the one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: JESUS. The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming humanity the Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus," "YHWAH saves." The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2666)

Reflect "May he—who did not shrink from taking a beginning like ours—perfect in us his gifts, and may he also make us children of God, he who for our sakes wished to become a child of man." — St. Augustine, Sermons, 184

Pray Today we remember and honor the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Take time to read the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus.

Act Make reading the daily readings a part of your New Year's habits this year.

Today is the tenth day of Christmas the 10 Lord’s leaping are a sign for the Ten Commandments.

Bible in a Year Day 186 Struggles with Self-Interest

Fr. Mike highlights the goodness of Hezekiah as king of Judah but also points out his failure to protect the future of his people. While Hezekiah let his self-interest cloud his judgment, we are reminded to pray for those who will come after us, doing our best to preserve what will be theirs one day. Today's readings are 2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 31, and Psalm 144.

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: The Pope

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Rosary

[1]https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/what-is-the-first-friday-and-first-saturday-devotion/

[2]https://www.holytrinitygerman.org/xmascustoms.html#holyname

[3]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2014-01-03

[4]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.

[5] http://www.yoursecretname.com/

[6]http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/christmas/christmas-january-3.cfm

🎬 Too Many Husbands (1940)

Starring: Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas
Director: Wesley Ruggles
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Based on: Home and Beauty (1919) by W. Somerset Maugham, retitled Too Many Husbands for New York; inspired by Tennyson’s Enoch Arden.

⭐ Plot Summary

Vicky Lowndes (Jean Arthur) believes her husband Bill (Fred MacMurray) has died in a boating accident. Grieving and lonely, she eventually marries Henry (Melvyn Douglas), Bill’s best friend and business partner.

Six months into her new marriage, Bill unexpectedly returns—very much alive—after surviving on a deserted island.

What follows is a screwball triangle of:

two husbands who both want her,
a wife who enjoys being adored by both,
and a legal/moral puzzle about marriage, loyalty, and desire.

The men bicker, compete, and even share a bedroom to keep an eye on each other, while Vicky refuses to choose until they “work it out.” The film plays the situation for comedy rather than scandal, leaning into rapid-fire dialogue, jealousy, and gender-role satire.

🎭 Why It Works

Jean Arthur is the engine of the film—vivacious, mischievous, and fully aware of her power. MacMurray and Douglas play beautifully off each other: one rugged and impulsive, the other refined and strategic.

It’s stage‑bound (Columbia kept the budget tight), but the performances and pacing make it sparkle.

✝️ Catholic Moral & Virtue Reflections

This is where your hospitality‑and‑formation lens shines. The film’s comedic premise actually opens up rich moral territory.

1. Marriage as Covenant, Not Convenience

The film treats marriage lightly—almost as a social contract that can be rearranged.
Catholic teaching insists marriage is:

exclusive,
permanent,
ordered toward mutual self-gift.

The comedy works precisely because the audience knows the situation is morally impossible. The absurdity highlights the seriousness of the real thing.

2. The Temptation of Being “Wanted by Two”

Vicky enjoys the attention.
This is the spiritual danger of vanity—the desire to be adored rather than to love.
Her indecision becomes a mirror for our own temptations to keep options open instead of committing fully.

3. Friendship Tested by Rivalry

Bill and Henry were business partners and friends.
Their rivalry exposes:

envy,
suspicion,
the fragility of male ego.

Catholic virtue calls for justice and charity—even when desires collide.

4. Providence and the Return of the “Dead”

Bill’s reappearance echoes Enoch Arden—a story about sacrifice, not competition.
Maugham’s play satirizes that ideal; the film softens it into farce.
But the underlying question remains:
What do we owe the people we once vowed to love?