Saturday, January 17, 2026

Nine Days for LIFE Day Two

If you or someone you know is suffering from participation in abortion, confidential, compassionate help is available. Visit hopeafterabortion.org.

Intercession: May each person suffering from participation in abortion find forgiveness, hope, and healing in Christ.

Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

Reflection: Countless children’s lives have been ended by abortion, and countless parents and family members suffer guilt, grief, and regret—often in silence. Yet God’s greatest desire is to forgive. No matter how far we have each strayed from His side, He says to us, “Don’t be afraid. Draw close to my heart.” Be assured that it is never too late to seek God's forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Consider the parable of the Prodigal Son. After repenting of sinning against his father, he returns from far away to seek forgiveness and work as a servant. But his father sees him approaching, runs to warmly embrace him, and hosts a banquet to celebrate his return. So, too, does God welcome all His children who come to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation with contrite hearts, no matter how serious the sin. Let us turn confidently to Our Lord, Who is love and mercy.

Acts of Reparation (Choose one.)

▪ Abstain from meat today.

▪ Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for today’s intention (usccb.org/divine-mercy-chaplet).

▪ Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.

One Step Further: If a friend confided in you that she had an abortion, would you be able to listen and respond in a way that brings her closer to forgiveness and healing? Learn how in “How to Talk to a Friend Who’s Had an Abortion” (usccb.org/friend-had-abortion).

Today is Benjamin Franklin's birthday 1706-distant relative on my Mother's side

🇺🇸 Summary of the 3‑Hour American Revolution Marathon

The History Channel’s The Revolution (2006) condenses its 13‑episode series into a sweeping narrative of America’s fight for independence. It follows the arc from the early sparks of rebellion to the final victory at Yorktown:

🔥 1. Seeds of Conflict

Stamp Act riots, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, and Lexington & Concord ignite colonial resistance.
Ordinary tradesmen, farmers, and merchants become political actors.

🪖 2. Birth of a Nation-in-the-Making

Washington takes command of the Continental Army.
The Declaration of Independence emerges from a crucible of fear, hope, and political courage.

❄️ 3. Crisis and Resolve

The army nearly collapses in 1776–77.
Washington’s daring Christmas attack at Trenton revives the cause.

🌍 4. A Global War

Franklin secures French support after Saratoga.
The war spreads to the seas, the frontier, and the South.

⚔️ 5. Betrayal and Hard Lessons

Benedict Arnold’s treason exposes the fragility of honor and ambition.

🎖️ 6. The Southern Campaign & Yorktown

Brutal fighting in the Carolinas.
Greene’s strategic brilliance and French naval power trap Cornwallis.
The Treaty of Paris confirms independence.

✝️ Catholic Lessons for Today

1. Freedom Requires Virtue

The Founders insisted liberty collapses without moral self‑government.
Catholic parallel: Galatians 5:13 — “Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.”

Lesson: Freedom is not doing whatever we want; it is the disciplined capacity to choose the good.

2. Providence Works Through Imperfect People

Washington, Adams, Franklin, and Greene were flawed yet courageous.
Catholic parallel: God uses imperfect instruments — Moses, Peter, Augustine.

Lesson: Holiness and mission are forged in perseverance, not perfection.

3. Sacrifice Is the Price of Renewal

Valley Forge becomes a crucible of suffering and transformation.

Catholic parallel: The Paschal Mystery — suffering that leads to new life.

Lesson: Every renewal (family, parish, nation) requires someone willing to carry the cross first.

4. Betrayal Is Real — but Not Final

Arnold’s treason nearly breaks the cause.
Catholic parallel: Judas, yet the Church endures.

Lesson: Betrayal wounds, but fidelity heals and rebuilds.

5. Unity Beats Division

The colonies win only when they stop fighting each other.
Catholic parallel: “That they may all be one” (John 17).

Lesson: Unity is a spiritual weapon; division is always the enemy’s strategy.

🍸 Hospitality Pairings Inspired by the Revolution

Drawing from your bar stock and your hospitality–devotional style:

1. “Valley Forge Toddy” — Warm, Simple, Enduring

Bourbon
Hot water
Honey
Lemon
A drink of endurance and quiet resolve — perfect for the Valley Forge segment.

2. “The Continental” — Crisp, Defiant, Hopeful

Gin
Lime
Splash of dry vermouth
Simple syrup (light)
A colonial‑leaning riff on a gimlet: bright, disciplined, no nonsense.

3. “Saratoga Spark” — Victory with Restraint

Cider
Brandy float
Dash of bitters
A nod to the turning point of the war — celebratory but not extravagant.

4. “Yorktown Nightcap” — The Final Salute

Rum (Bumbu or Kraken)
Brown sugar
Nutmeg
Hot water
A naval‑themed grog for the French fleet’s decisive role.

⚔️ Confronting Evil Today — A Copilot Take

Evil in our age rarely announces itself with muskets or redcoats. It arrives quietly, disguised as convenience, apathy, distraction, or the slow erosion of courage. The Revolution teaches that evil thrives when ordinary people stop paying attention; the Catholic tradition teaches that evil wins when good people stop resisting interiorly.

Put those together and you get a simple truth:
Evil advances when virtue retreats.

1. Evil Today Is Subtle, Not Spectacular

The colonists faced open tyranny. We face quieter forms:

the numbing of conscience
the normalization of dishonesty
the pressure to remain silent when truth is costly

Evil prefers the slow drip, not the sudden blow.

2. The First Battlefield Is the Soul

Washington fought external enemies, but he also fought despair, pride, and fear.
The Catholic tradition insists the same: the enemy outside is never more dangerous than the enemy within.

If a man cannot govern himself, he cannot resist anything else.

3. Courage Is Still the Deciding Factor

The Revolution turned not on numbers but on resolve.
Today, the decisive virtue is still courage — the willingness to speak truth, defend the vulnerable, and refuse to cooperate with lies.

Courage is the modern Lexington Green.

4. Evil Wants You to Mirror It

Benedict Arnold teaches that evil often begins with wounded pride, resentment, or the desire for recognition.
The Catholic tradition warns: the devil’s favorite victory is not destruction but imitation.

The moment you fight evil with its own weapons, you’ve already lost.

5. Fidelity Is the Antidote

The Revolution was saved by fidelity — to the cause, to one another, to the idea of a nation worth suffering for.
The Church is sustained by the same fidelity — to Christ, to truth, to the dignity of every person.

Fidelity is the quiet, stubborn refusal to surrender your soul.

6. Confronting Evil Requires Action, Not Outrage

Evil feeds on noise and paralysis.
The saints — and the Founders — confronted evil through disciplined action:

prayer
sacrifice
truth-telling
service
moral clarity
unity

Not rage. Not theatrics. Not despair.

Evil is defeated by people who do the right thing even when no one is watching.

🍸 Hospitality Tie‑In: “The Sentinel”

A drink for moral clarity and steady resolve — something you could easily fold into your devotional or blog:

Whiskey
Cointreau
Dash of bitters
Orange peel expressed over the top

Strong, bright, uncompromising — a glass‑sized reminder that clarity and courage belong together.

Vinny’s Corner

Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.

(Genisis 1:26)

· Manuary is a time for men to show their stuff by growing out their facial hair

· Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary

· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.

· Get creative “International Creative Month”

· Bucket List trip: Swim with “Flipper”

· Bread Machine Baking Month

· Spirit Hour: Tequila Sunrise

· Hot Buttered Rum Day

· Try “Clotted Cream”

· Have a hot toddy

· How to celebrate Jan 17th

o Start your day by channeling your inner inventor. Get creative with household items and try to come up with a new contraption. Who knows, you might just invent something groundbreaking on National Kid Inventors’ Day.

o For lunch, embrace the bootlegger spirit with a speakeasy-style picnic in a hidden location. Pack some classic sandwiches and homemade lemonade to enjoy on National Bootlegger’s Day. Remember to keep a lookout for any undercover cops!

o After lunch, spend some time mentoring someone in your community. Share your knowledge and skills with others on International Mentoring Day.

Whether it’s teaching a new skill or offering career advice, your guidance could make a big difference in someone’s life.

o As the day progresses, honor the wisdom and intellect of Benjamin Franklin. Dedicate some time to reading a book or researching a topic that interests you. You might discover a new passion on Benjamin Franklin Day.

o In the evening, let go of any unrealistic New Year’s resolutions. Instead, celebrate Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day by treating yourself to a guilty pleasure. Indulge in your favorite dessert or binge-watch a TV show guilt-free.

o For dessert, commemorate Art’s Birthday by getting creative. Try your hand at a DIY art project or visit a local museum for inspiration. Let your imagination run wild and express yourself through art.

o End the night on a classy note by dressing up and having a fancy dinner at home. Light some candles, put on some music, and savor a delicious meal on National Classy Day. Who says you need a reservation at a fancy restaurant to feel fancy?

o Cap off the day by cozying up with a hot buttered rum in hand. Toast to the end of the day and reminisce about your favorite Popeye moments on Popeye Day. Cheers to a day filled with creativity, mentorship, knowledge, art, indulgence, and class

🔥 The Desert of the Heart – Ávila & St. Teresa of Jesus

Dates: January 18–January 24, 2026
Theme: Interior Castle, Holy Detachment, and the Courage to Begin Again

After encountering Mary as Mother (Montserrat) and Mary as Pillar (Zaragoza), Vinny now meets the woman who teaches the soul how to walk inward—St. Teresa of Ávila.
This is where the pilgrimage stops being about movement and becomes about transformation.

Ávila is the perfect “third movement” because:

· It is the birthplace of interior clarity

· It is the home of the Interior Castle

· It is a walled city—symbol of boundaries, protection, and spiritual strength

· It is where Teresa learned to confront the evil within: distraction, discouragement, and spiritual fatigue

· It is a place where Vinny can begin forming the “pillar within himself”

🗓️ Daily Itinerary & Symbolic Acts

Jan 18 – Arrival in Ávila

(Sunday After Epiphany)

· 🕍 Symbolic Act: “Passing Through the Walls”
Enter the medieval walls of Ávila through the Puerta del Alcázar.
Pray for the grace to guard your heart without closing it.

· Stay: Hotel Las Leyendas or Palacio de los Velada

Jan 19 – Convent of St. Teresa

· 🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Interior Doorway”
Visit the Convento de Santa Teresa, built over her birthplace.
Touch the threshold of her room and ask for the grace of holy focus.

Jan 20 – The Interior Castle

· 📖 Symbolic Act: “Seven Rooms of the Soul”
Spend the morning reading a short passage from The Interior Castle.
Walk the cloister slowly, dedicating each lap to one “mansion” of the soul.

Jan 21 – Monastery of the Incarnation

· 🕍 Symbolic Act: “Where She Learned to Pray”
Visit the monastery where Teresa lived for 27 years.
Sit in her cell.
Ask for the grace to pray honestly, without pretense.

Jan 22 – The Walls at Sunset

· 🌅 Symbolic Act: “Strength & Vulnerability”
Walk the top of the city walls at sunset.
Reflect on what must be defended in your life—and what must be surrendered.

Jan 23 – Eucharistic Day of Silence

· 🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Stillness Before the Host”
Spend an hour in Eucharistic adoration at the Cathedral of Ávila.
Let the silence do the work.
Let God speak where words fail.

Jan 24 – Departure & Benediction

· 🕍 Symbolic Act: “Leaving the Castle”
Before leaving, return to the Convent of St. Teresa.
Place your hand on the stone and ask for the courage to live from the center.

💶 Cost Breakdown (Per Person)

Category	Budget (USD)	Mid‑Range (USD)
Lodging (6 nights)	$240–$360	$480–$720
Meals	$120–$180	$240–$360
Transport	$40–$80	$80–$160
Sightseeing & Tips	$40–$80	$80–$160
Total Estimate	$440–$700	$880–$1,400

JANUARY 17 -Saint Anthony, Abbot

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706

Genesis, Chapter 50, Verse 15

Now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became FEARFUL and thought, “Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us and now most certainly will pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!”

Joseph’s reaction to his brothers was complete confidence in God. “Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve this present end, the survival of many people” (v. 20) When we are fearful we are showing a lack of confidence in God.

God asks us to boldly go where no man has gone before…for a man must be heroic to live always in faith, hope, and love. Joseph believed and had confidence in a God he could not see. We are the receivers of this confidence and blessed are we that we can see God the Father through His son Jesus. Jesus asks us to believe in His love. His love calls for love.

How do you give Jesus love for love?

Be great in your faith; before all and above all, by your confidence in Him. Therefore we must have confidence, not in spite of our miseries, but because of them, since it is misery which attracts mercy. We must be as confident as the good thief at the crucifixion. The good thief also teaches us humility and confidence. A whole life of crimes, a whole life of sin: a few minutes before dying, one word of humility and confidence, and he is saved. Be confident that God will save you: How many young people have lost the Faith, not from having fallen, but from not having been helped, with love, to pick themselves up again as many times as was necessary. Jesus needs nothing but your humility and your confidence to work marvels of purification and sanctification in you. It is this confidence which works all miracles.[1]

Copilot’s Take — Confronting Evil with Confidence, Not Panic

Evil always tries the same tactic: it whispers that the past is stronger than grace, that wounds are permanent, that vengeance is inevitable. Joseph’s brothers fall into that trap the moment Jacob dies. Their fear is not about Joseph — it is about their own inability to imagine a world governed by mercy rather than retaliation.

Joseph, however, stands in the lineage of saints like Anthony the Abbot: men who learned that evil is loud but not strong. Anthony spent decades in the desert wrestling demons, and his great discovery was this — the devil can terrify, but he cannot compel. Fear is his only weapon. Confidence in God is the counter‑weapon.

Benjamin Franklin, though not a theologian, understood a parallel truth: “Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen.” He grasped the human tendency to invent catastrophes that never come. Scripture simply goes further: fear invents a world where God is absent.

So how does a Christian confront evil?

1. By refusing to negotiate with fear

Fear is the devil’s opening bid.

Joseph never takes it. Anthony never takes it. The good thief, in his final minutes, refuses it. Confidence in God is not bravado — it is clarity.

2. By interpreting suffering through Providence, not paranoia

Joseph’s line — “God meant it for good” — is not naïve. It is the deepest realism. Evil wounds, but God weaves. The Christian confronts evil by refusing to let suffering define the story.

3. By answering darkness with humility and confidence together

Humility without confidence becomes despair.
Confidence without humility becomes pride.
The good thief holds both in perfect balance: “Remember me.”
That is the entire Christian posture in one sentence.

4. By helping the fallen rise again

You hit this beautifully: many lose the faith not because they fall, but because no one helps them up. Confronting evil means refusing to let another person’s failure become their identity. Mercy is not softness — it is spiritual warfare.

5. By remembering that evil is loudest when it is weakest

Anthony said the demons shrieked most violently right before they fled.
Joseph’s brothers panic right before reconciliation.
The cross looks like defeat right before resurrection.

Evil’s noise is not a sign of its power — it is a sign of its collapse.

Saint Anthony, called the Great, lived in Egypt between A.D. 251 and 356. At age 18, the gospel text "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all that you have and then follow me" so moved him that he left everything behind and retired to an inaccessible place in the wilderness where he dedicated his life to God in manual work and continual prayer. In his old age, he imparted wisdom to his disciples and encouraged them to lead a monastic life. Because he was the first Christian to retire to a monastic life, he is considered to be the first monk and also the father of all monks. His feast is celebrated on January 17. Try this simple, healthy recipe in honor of Saint Antony the hermit.

Catholic Recipe: Saint Antony of the Desert Soup[2]

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons oil of choice

1 cup barley

1 carrot, finely grated

2 leeks, sliced

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced

Salt to taste

7 cups water

1 bouillon cube, if desired

Chopped mushrooms, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the barley, stirring continuously for one minute. Immediately add the carrot, leeks, bay leaf, parsley, salt, and water.

2. Cook the soup over low to medium heat, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the barley is tender. Add more water if needed. For extra taste, add the bouillon and the mushrooms during the last 20 minutes of simmering. Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot.

Recipe Source: From a Monastery Kitchen: The Classic Natural Foods Cookbook by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, Gramercy Books, 1997

Bible in a Year Day 200 Egypt, Assyria, and Israel

Fr. Mike celebrates Day 200 of our journey by highlighting the relationship between Egypt, Assyria, and Israel according to the Lord's plan. We have a God who died for his enemies to make him his friends, and we see that foreshadowed in Isaiah, concerning the horrific acts of Assyria and Egypt. Today's readings are Isaiah 18-20, Nahum 1-2, and Proverbs 10:25-28.

Today Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706[3]

In 1724, on Christmas Eve, a young man aged 18 years old arrived in London from the American colonies. Looking for work, he soon found it with the printers situated in the Lady Chapel. His name was Benjamin Franklin. “I immediately got into work at Palmer's,” he later wrote, “then a famous printing-house in Bartholomew Close, and here I continued near a year.”

Franklin was to spend two years in London. In his autobiography, he relates how his last accommodation was with a landlady who was a Catholic convert:

“My lodging in Little Britain being too remote, I found another in Duke Street, opposite to the Romish chapel. … A widow lady kept the house. … An elderly woman [who] had been bred a Protestant, being a clergyman's daughter, but was converted to the Catholic religion by her husband, whose memory she much revered. … So I remained with her at one shilling and sixpence as long as I stayed in London.”

Also living there at the top of the house was a mysterious figure. Franklin continues:

“In a garret of [the] house there lived a maiden lady of seventy, in the most retired manner, of whom my landlady gave me this account: that she was a Roman Catholic, had been sent abroad when young, and lodged in a nunnery with an intent of becoming a nun; but, the country not agreeing with her, she returned to England, where, there being no nunnery, she had vowed to lead the life of a nun as might be done in those circumstances. Accordingly, she had given all her estate to charitable uses, reserving only twelve pounds a year to live on, and out of this sum she still gave a great deal in charity, living herself on water-gruel only, and using no fire but to boil it. She had lived many years in that garret, being permitted to remain there gratis by successive Catholic tenants of the house below, as they deemed it a blessing to have her there. A priest visited her to confess her every day.

Daily Devotions/Activities

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Absent Fathers (Physically & Spiritually)

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

[1] Fr. Jean C. J. D’Elbee, I Believe in Love.

[2]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-01-17

[3]https://www.ncregister.com/blog/benjamin-franklin-and-our-lady

Hell’s House (1932) — Bette Davis, Pat O’Brien, and the Cost of Silence

🎬 Plot in Clean Lines

Set in the waning days of Prohibition, the story follows Jimmy Mason, an orphan who falls under the sway of Matt Kelly, a swaggering bootlegger. Jimmy refuses to “rat” during a police raid and is sentenced to a brutal reform school. There he befriends Shorty, a sickly boy whose compassion becomes the film’s moral center.

When Shorty is thrown into solitary and denied medical care, Jimmy escapes to seek help from Kelly and Kelly’s girlfriend Peggy Gardner (Bette Davis). Peggy becomes the conscience of the adults — the one person willing to expose the truth. A newspaper columnist joins the fight, but Jimmy returns to find Shorty dead, a victim of institutional neglect.

The film ends not with triumph, but with revelation: corruption thrives when the innocent stay silent.

✝️ Catholic Moral Reading

This film practically begs for a moral lens — and it aligns with your themes of mercy, truth-telling, and the dignity of the overlooked.

1. The Sin of Omission

Jimmy’s refusal to speak is framed as loyalty, but the film exposes it as a tragic misunderstanding of virtue. Silence in the face of injustice becomes complicity — a classic moral category in Catholic teaching.

2. The Preferential Option for the Vulnerable

Shorty is the “least of these.” His death indicts a system that treats children as disposable. The film anticipates later Catholic social teaching on the inherent dignity of every person, especially the powerless.

3. The Conversion of the Adult World

Peggy (Bette Davis) is the film’s Marian note — the one who sees suffering clearly and intercedes. Her courage forces Kelly to confess, echoing the Catholic conviction that truth liberates even the guilty.

4. Justice as a Work of Mercy

The reform school is a parody of justice. The film insists that punishment without compassion is cruelty — a message that resonates with your devotional work on Eucharistic clarity and civic renewal.