Saturday, January 10, 2026

Vinny’s Corner

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth— and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.

(Genisis 1:1)

· Heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman birthday 1949-Get the grill

· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.

· Get creative “International Creative Month”

· Bucket List trip: The Great Barrier Reef

· Bread Machine Baking Month

· Try “Ginger Beer”

· Have a hot toddy

· How to celebrate Jan 10th

o Start your day by embracing your inner peculiar person. Dress in an outlandish outfit, dance like no one’s watching, and celebrate your uniqueness to the fullest. Next, channel your inner conservationist by participating in energy-saving activities. Unplug electronics, turn off unused lights, and reduce water consumption. Show appreciation for nature by going bird watching or learning about different bird species. National Save the Eagles Day is a great opportunity to admire these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.

o For lunch, indulge in a delicious oyster dish to honor National Oysters Rockefeller Day. Visit a local seafood market for fresh oysters, or try your hand at preparing a recipe at home. Afterward, satisfy your sweet tooth with some bittersweet chocolate treats. National Bittersweet Chocolate Day offers the perfect excuse to bake brownies, whip up a hot cocoa, or simply savor a piece of dark chocolate.

o As the day winds down, unwind with your houseplants on National Houseplant Appreciation Day. Spend some time tending to your indoor greenery, repotting plants, or researching new ones to add to your collection. Consider creating a small indoor garden or swapping plants with friends to expand your houseplant family. End the day by reflecting on the joy of embracing the weird and wonderful world of national holidays.

⛪ Desert Fathers & Eucharistic Silence – Zaragoza & the Pilar

Dates: January 11–January 17, 2026
Theme: Desert Clarity, Marian Strength, and the Pillar of Faith

Zaragoza is home to Our Lady of the Pillar,

the oldest Marian apparition in Christian history (40 AD), when Mary appeared to St. James while still alive. After the mystical heights of Montserrat and the civic light of Barcelona, Zaragoza becomes Vinny’s week of foundation, stability, and interior strength—the “pillar” after the mountain.

🗓️ Daily Itinerary & Symbolic Acts

Jan 11 – Arrival in Zaragoza (Sunday After Epiphany)

🕍 Symbolic Act: “Foundation of Faith”
Arrive by train from Barcelona (~1 hr 30 min). Enter the Basílica del Pilar and place your hand on the ancient pillar Mary left for St. James.
🛏️ Stay: Hotel Pilar Plaza or NH Ciudad de Zaragoza

Jan 12 – The Pillar & the River

🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Strength in Stillness”
Attend morning Mass at the Basílica. Walk along the Ebro River, reflecting on the quiet strength of water and the steadfastness of the pillar.
Visit: Goya Museum — the painter born in Zaragoza

Jan 13 – La Seo Cathedral & Eucharistic Light

🕍 Symbolic Act: “Light in the Temple”
Visit La Seo, the cathedral of Zaragoza, known for its Mudéjar architecture. Spend time in Eucharistic adoration, praying for clarity and courage.

Jan 14 – Desert Day: Monasterio de Piedra

🌿 Symbolic Act: “Desert & Waterfall”
Day trip to the Monasterio de Piedra, a Cistercian monastery surrounded by waterfalls and caves. Reflect on the paradox of the spiritual life: desert austerity and unexpected abundance.

Jan 15 – St. James & the Camino Echo

🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Pilgrim’s Resolve”
Visit the Church of Santiago el Mayor, honoring the apostle who evangelized Spain. Light a candle for perseverance and for the “Camino” each soul must walk.

Jan 16 – Marian Strength & Personal Vows

🕍 Symbolic Act: “Pillar of My Life”
Return to the Basílica del Pilar. Kneel before the small statue of Our Lady and make a personal vow for the year—something concrete, simple, and rooted in love.

Jan 17 – Departure & Benediction

🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Leaving with Strength”
Before departing, touch the pillar one last time. Pray for the strength to carry Marian steadiness into the next stage of the pilgrimage.

January 10 Saturday after Epiphany

Genesis, Chapter 35, Verse 7

When her labor was most intense, the midwife said to her, “Do not FEAR, for now you have another son.”

Rachel was the one love of Jacob (Israel). Due to her father, Lot’s, tricks on Jacob, he was forced to work for her for over 14 years to take Rachel, whom he dearly loved, as his bride. Rachel was barren and died in childbirth with her two sons Joseph and Benjamin. She was not afraid because after her long suffering with barrenness at last she had given birth to two healthy sons: a dying wish. Life at times can be hard. God does not promise us perfect happiness in this life; for we are made for heaven and eternal happiness with Him. We are to do our best, but when our best is not sufficient; surrender it to Him. We must be humble; trusting with great confidence in Him that we may do His will in good seasons and bad. Pray that we may not forget this truth and complain as the Israelites did in the desert to such an extent that Moses cried out to God, “Where can I get meat to give to all these people? For they are crying to me, ‘Give us meat for our food.’ I cannot carry this entire people by myself, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face my distress.” (Nm 11:13-15)

Moses was despondent here, yet his strength lay not in holding on but in handing everything over to God. When the path grows heavy, the lesson is the same for us: trust Him, remembering that “one does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). And when despondency settles over us, let us turn to the Mother of God, who on the day of Christ’s death entered a sorrow so deep it was as though part of her died as well—yet she did not despair. In that moment she received a new mission, for “now she had another son,” a sign of her spiritual adoption of all humanity and her steadfast courage in the face of unthinkable loss.

Copilot’s Take-On Confronting Evil

Evil rarely announces itself with horns and smoke; more often it works quietly, wearing down the will through exhaustion, discouragement, and the subtle lie that we are alone in our struggle. What Scripture reveals—from Rachel’s final labor to Moses’ breaking point—is that evil gains its greatest foothold not through dramatic temptations but through the slow erosion of trust. The enemy’s strategy is simple: isolate the heart, magnify the burden, and convince us that surrendering to despair is the only reasonable path. But God teaches a different kind of surrender—the surrender that hands over the weight rather than collapsing beneath it. This is why the saints endure what would crush ordinary strength: they refuse to fight evil on its terms. They answer fear with trust, desolation with prayer, and suffering with a confidence rooted not in their own resilience but in God’s fidelity. Mary at the foot of the Cross embodies this perfectly. She confronts the darkest evil ever unleashed not by resisting it with force, but by standing firm in love, receiving her new mission even as her heart breaks. The wisdom is clear: evil is defeated not by matching its violence or its despair, but by anchoring ourselves so deeply in God that even in our weakest hour, we remain unshaken in hope.

Bible in a Year Day 193 The Book of Tobit

Fr. Mike focuses on the book of Tobit today and explains why this beautiful book is missing from non-Catholic Bibles. He dives into the history behind the arrangement of the Bible, and why the Catholic Bible includes 73 books. Today's readings are Isaiah 3-4, Tobit 3-4, and Proverbs 9:13-18.

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: End Sex Trafficking Slavery

· Religion in the Home for Preschool: January

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Rosary

Here’s a polished, citation‑grounded breakdown of I’ll Name the Murderer (1936)—a brisk, nightclub‑set crime thriller with all the pre‑war pulp energy you love.

🎬 I’ll Name the Murderer (1936)

Director: Raymond K. Johnson
Starring: Ralph Forbes, Marion Shilling, Malcolm McGregor
Studio: Puritan Pictures
Release: January 27, 1936
Genre: Crime thriller / whodunit
Sources:

📘 Plot Summary (Grounded in Sources)

The film opens on the grand opening night of Luigi’s nightclub, where gossip columnist Tommy Tilton (Ralph Forbes) and his photographer Smitty (Marion Shilling) are covering the event.

Behind the scenes:

Singer Nadia Renee is blackmailing Ted Benson, an old college friend of Tilton’s, using love letters he wrote before his engagement.
A jealous dancer, Valerie Delroy, is fired after a backstage fight with Nadia, only to be rehired moments later.
Benson confronts Nadia in anger, grabbing a stiletto just as she turns out the lights.

Moments later, Tilton finds Nadia dead in her dressing room. He retrieves the incriminating letters, locks the door, and calls the police.

The investigation spirals:

A cook reports seeing a well‑dressed man fleeing the back exit.
Valerie tries to contact Tilton with new information—but is murdered before she can speak.
Tilton uncovers a $15,000 bracelet receipt linking Nadia to Hugo Van Ostrum, giving him motive as well.
He also discovers that Luigi once ran a Chicago nightclub under the name Rossi, tying him to Nadia’s past.

Tilton uses his newspaper column to taunt the killer, promising to “name the murderer”—a classic pulp‑era gambit that forces the culprit into the open.