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JANUARY 24 Saturday Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop
And because the
midwives FEARED God, God built up
families for them.
God’s mercy is just like the drops of water which
grooves stones to make gorges and canyons; small acts of mercy have a similar
effect on the hearts of sinners making them into monoliths of strength. Therefore, they resisted Pharaoh’s decree to kill the children of Israel.
Likewise, we must resist the laws
that are enacted that defy the law of God.
The
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church[1]
addresses the issue of when and how St. Peter's teaching that obedience to
God comes before obedience to men applies in the modern Christian's life.
Presciently, or perhaps better, prophetically, Pope Benedict XVI foresaw and
foresees increasing conflict between American Catholics and a public authority
increasingly secularized and increasingly hostile to the moral values of its
Catholic citizens. The conflict is caused by the increasing demands of the
State to "to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of
Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in
intrinsically evil practices." The aggressive secularist State wants
freedom of religion to be limited to "mere freedom of worship," and
not to "freedom of conscience" which extends beyond the realm of the
four walls of a Church into the "public square" of social, civil,
political, and economic life." Christians may conscientiously object to
civil laws if they infringe upon one or more of three things:
(1)
the law violates the moral order, that is, the natural moral law.
(2) the law violates fundamental human
rights; or
(3) the law violates the teachings of the
Gospel, which is to say the teachings of the Church. Laws that trespass against
one or more of these three things may not be obeyed, and obedience to them must be refused. In fact, the Christian
has both a duty and a right to refuse such a law. And though it may be
unrecognized, it is a right that he must
exercise regardless of the consequences to him.
The
full text of the Compendium on this issue merits quotation:
"Citizens
are not obligated in conscience to follow the prescriptions of civil
authorities if their precepts are contrary to the demands of the moral order,
to the fundamental rights of persons or to the teachings of the Gospel. Unjust
laws pose dramatic problems of conscience for morally upright people:
when
they are called to cooperate in morally evil acts they must refuse. Besides being a moral duty, such a refusal is also a
basic human right which, precisely as such, civil law itself is obliged to
recognize and protect. 'Those who have recourse to conscientious objection must
be protected not only from legal penalties but also from any negative effects
on the legal, disciplinary, financial and professional plane.'" "It
is a grave duty of conscience not to cooperate, not even formally, in practices
which, although permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to the Law of God.
Such cooperation in fact can never be justified, not by invoking respect for
the freedom of others nor by appealing to the fact that it is foreseen and
required by civil law. No one can escape the moral responsibility for actions
taken, and all will be judged by God himself based on this responsibility (cf.
Rom 2:6; 14:12)." (Compendium, No. 399)
The
right of conscientious objection is not the right of resistance,
and the two should be carefully distinguished. Moreover, resistance which can
be expressed in "many different concrete ways" should be
distinguished from the last and desperate recourse of "armed resistance."
The right to resist an oppressive law or an oppressive government is one that
is found in the natural law. It is a right which precedes a government, and so
is one that is inalienable. Resistance generally is something to be avoided, and
it is justified only if there is a "serious" infringement or
"repeated" and chronic infringements of the natural moral law, a
fundamental human right, or a Gospel precept. "Recognizing that natural
law is the basis for and places limits on positive law means admitting that it
is legitimate to resist authority should it violate in a serious or repeated
manner the essential principles of natural law. Saint Thomas Aquinas writes
that 'one is obliged to obey . . . insofar as it is required by the order of justice.'
Natural law is therefore the basis of the right to resistance." The right
of resistance is not one that necessarily has the overthrow of government in
mind. There may be many ways in which resistance may be expressed, and there
may be many ends which resistance may have in mind: "There can be many
different concrete ways this right may be exercised; there are also many
different ends that may be pursued. Resistance to authority is meant to attest
to the validity of a different way of looking at things, whether the intent is
to achieve partial change, for example, modifying certain laws, or to fight for
a radical change in the situation." (Compendium, No. 400)
Resistance
in the sense of armed resistance is something which is a last resort.
The Church has identified five conditions all of which must be met before armed
resistance is morally justified:
"1) there is certain, grave and prolonged
violation of fundamental rights,
2)
all other means of redress have been exhausted,
3)
such resistance will not provoke worse disorders,
4)
there is well-founded hope of success; and
5)
it is impossible reasonably to foresee any better solution."
As
the Church observes, armed resistance, even if morally justified, is generally
to be avoided, and passive resistance is to be preferred. Armed resistance is
often a Pandora's Box which unleashes as much or more evil as it intended to
avoid. "Recourse to arms is seen as an extreme remedy for putting an end
to a 'manifest, long-standing tyranny which would do great damage to
fundamental personal rights and dangerous harm to the common good of the
country.' The gravity of the danger that recourse to violence entails
today makes it preferable in any case that passive resistance be practiced,
which is 'a way more conformable to moral principles and having no less
prospects for success.'" (Compendium, No. 401)
In this light, the
loss of more than sixty‑five million unborn children is not only a moral
tragedy but a profound constitutional wound. It raises the unavoidable question
of whether a nation can ignore such a violation of its own mission without
seeking redress. Pro‑life groups, grounded in conscience and committed to
peaceful action, hold a powerful moral and constitutional foundation for
pursuing lawful remedies that affirm the dignity and personhood of the unborn.
Their work is not an act of retaliation but an appeal to justice—an insistence
that the promise made to “our posterity” must finally be honored.
Whenever the vulnerable are threatened, especially the child in the womb, love requires a firm, peaceful, and unwavering refusal to participate in wrongdoing. This is the pattern Scripture offers: small acts of fidelity that carve deep channels of grace through the stone of a hardened world. And it is the pattern that can inspire a new generation of advocates to seek courageous, lawful, and transformative change for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Love demands we care about human rights, but we must
begin with the protection of the unborn
·
Learn how to pray the Angelus (www.usccb.org/angelus),
and consider saying it every day for the next week—on awakening, at noon, or at
6 p.m. (or all three times).
·
Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of
penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.
Saint Francis de Sales[3]
Let
us therefore take the advice of St. Francis and prepare ourselves for every
communion.
St.
Francis de Sales says that Our Savior can never be seen more amiable and more
tender, in all that He has done for us, than in Holy Communion, in which He, so
to say, annihilates Himself and becomes food, that He may unite Himself to the
hearts and bodies of His faithful. Therefore, the learned Gerson used also to
say, that there was no means more efficacious than Holy Communion whereby to
enkindle devotion and the holy love of God in our souls.
And, indeed, if we speak of doing something agreeable
to God, what can a soul do more agreeable to Him than to receive communion?
St. Denis teaches us that love always
tends towards perfect union; but how can a soul be more perfectly united with
Jesus than in the manner of which He speaks Himself, saying: “He that eateth My
flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him” (John vi. 57) St.
Augustine says that if every day you receive this sacrament, Jesus will be
always with you, and that you will always advance in divine love.
Again, if there be question of healing our spiritual
infirmities, what more certain remedy can we have than Holy Communion, which is
called by the sacred Council of Trent a remedy whereby we may be freed from
daily faults, and be preserved from mortal sins?
Whence does it come, asks Cardinal Bona, that in so
many souls we see so little fruit with such frequent communions, and that they
constantly relapse into the same faults?
He replies: The fault is not in the food,
but in the disposition of him who receives.
Can a man, says Solomon, hide fire in his bosom, and
his garments not burn? (Prov. vi. 27.)
God is a consuming fire.
He comes Himself in Holy Communion to enkindle this
divine fire; how is it, then, says William of Paris, that we see such a
diabolical miracle as that souls should remain cold in divine love, in the
midst of such flames?
All comes from the want of proper
dispositions, and especially from want of preparation. Fire immediately
inflames dry but not green wood; for this latter is not disposed to burn. The
saints derived great benefit from their communions because they prepared
themselves with great care. St. Aloysius Gonzaga devoted three days to his
preparation for Holy Communion, and three days he spent in thanksgiving to his
Lord. To prepare well for Holy Communion, a soul should be disposed on two main
points: it should be detached from
creatures and have a great desire to advance in divine love. In the first
place, then, a soul should detach
itself from all things, and drive everything from its heart which is not God.
He that is washed, saith Jesus, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean
wholly (John xiii. 10); which signifies, as St. Bernard explains it, that in
order to receive this sacrament with great fruit, we should not only be
cleansed from mortal sins, but that our feet also should be washed, that is, be
free from earthly affections; for being in contact with the earth they excite a
sort of repugnance in God, and soiling the soul prevent the effects of Holy
Communion. St. Gertrude asked Our Lord what preparation He required of her for
Holy Communion, and He replied I only ask that thou shouldst come empty of
thyself to receive. In the second place, it is necessary in Holy Communion to
have a great desire to receive Jesus Christ and His holy love. In this sacred
banquet, says Gerson, only those who are famishing receive their fill; and the
most Blessed Virgin Mary had already said the same thing: He hath filled the
hungry with good things (Luke i. 53). As Jesus, writes the venerable Father
Avila, only came into this world after He had been much and long desired, so
does He only enter a soul which desires Him; for it is not becoming that such
food should be given him who has a
loathing for it. Our Lord one day said to St. Matilda: No bee flies with such
impetuosity to flowers, to suck their honey, as I fly to souls in Holy
Communion, driven by the violence of My love. Since then, Jesus Christ has so
great a desire to come into our souls, it is also right that we also should have a great desire to receive
Him and His divine love by Holy Communion. St. Francis de Sales teaches us that
the principal object which a soul should
have in view in communicating should
be to advance in the love of God; since He Who for love alone gives Himself to
us should be received for love.
Catholic
Prayer: Novena for Purification
Description:
This novena prayer, although short, is sufficient.
It would be better of course to add, if time permits, three Hail Mary’s or say
five times the Our Father, Haily Mary and Glory be to the Father, or to use
some of the many well-loved novena prayers from other sources. Remember that
prayers must be said with the lips in order to gain the indulgences. This
novena starts on January 24 and ends on February 2.
Prayer:
O Blessed Mother of God, who went up to
the Temple according to the law with your offering of little white doves, pray
for me that I too may keep the law and be pure in heart like you.
Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.
300
days. Plenary, under usual conditions, if said daily for a month. S. C.
Indulg., Sept. 30, 1852.
Prayer Source: All Day With God by Blanche Jennings Thompson
Bible in a
Year Day 206 The Book of Baruch
Fr. Mike explains the context of
the book of Baruch, he also highlights Isaiah's warning against complacency and
how God's justice applies to everyone, even those who don't believe in Him. The
readings are Isaiah 32-33, Baruch 1-2, and Proverbs 11:17-20.16.
Vinny’s
Corner
The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his
face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
(Numbers 6:24-26)
·
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”
·
Try
“Transylvanian
Sauerkraut & Sausage”
·
Spirit
Hour: French
Brandy and a fire
·
Bucket
List trip: Israel
o
Wake
up with a belly laugh to kickstart your day. Grab some peanut butter toast for
breakfast and make a plan to appreciate the simple things like a can of beer.
Take a moment to celebrate technology with your Macintosh computer – maybe
learn something new online. For lunch, indulge in some lobster thermidor,
feeling fancy on a budget.
o
During
the afternoon, educate yourself on something that interests you. It could be a
hobby or a new topic you’ve been curious about. Channel your inner motivation
and just do it—whatever it may be that you’ve been putting off. Later, find a
friend to talk like grizzled prospectors together, having a good laugh.
o
As
the day winds down, raise a toast to Paul Pitcher, a friend or family member
who deserves some recognition. Maybe share some memories or plan a future
get-together. End the day with a feast for Thorrablot, inviting loved
ones for a potluck dinner.
·
Plan winter fun:
o
Soak in hot springs
o
Hit the snow slopes
o
Ride a snowmobile
o
Go for a dog sled ride
o
Ride a hot air
balloon
**🌍
January 25–31, 2026
Rome
— The Heartbeat of the Church**
Theme: Apostolic Mission, Universal Communion, and the Courage to
Witness
January 25 is the Feast
of the Conversion of St. Paul.
There is no better place on earth to honor that feast than Rome, where Paul
poured out his life and where Peter sealed the Church’s foundation with his
blood.
This week becomes
Vinny’s turning outward—from interior transformation (Ávila) to apostolic
courage (Rome).
🗓️ Daily Itinerary &
Symbolic Acts
Jan 25 – Arrival in Rome (Feast of the
Conversion of St. Paul)
·
🕍 Symbolic Act: “Fall to
Rise”
Visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Touch the chains that once bound him.
Pray for the courage to let God redirect your life as radically as He did
Paul’s.
·
Stay: Casa Santa Sofia or Hotel Santa Maria in
Trastevere
Jan 26 – St. Peter’s & Apostolic
Foundations
·
🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Keys of
Trust”
Attend morning Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
Stand before the tomb of Peter and ask for the grace to be faithful in small
things.
Jan 27 – Catacombs & Early Witnesses
·
🕯️ Symbolic Act: “Light
in the Dark”
Visit the Catacombs of San Callisto.
Walk among the graves of the early martyrs.
Reflect on the quiet courage of ordinary believers.
Jan 28 – St. John Lateran & Baptismal
Identity
·
🕍 Symbolic Act: “Return
to the Font”
Visit the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome.
Place your hand on the ancient baptismal font and renew your baptismal promises
silently.
Jan 29 – The Seven Basilicas Pilgrimage
(Optional)
·
🚶 Symbolic Act:
“Pilgrim’s Endurance”
Walk part of the traditional Seven Churches Pilgrimage begun by St. Philip
Neri.
Offer each step for someone who has drifted from faith.
Jan 30 – Quiet Rome & Eucharistic Rest
·
🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Rest in
the Host”
Spend an hour in adoration at Santissimo Nome di Gesù, the Jesuit mother
church.
Let the silence of Rome’s heart settle into your own.
Jan 31 – Departure & Apostolic Sending
·
🕍 Symbolic Act: “Go
Forth”
Before leaving, return to St. Peter’s Square.
Stand beneath the colonnade—Bernini’s “embracing arms”—and ask for the grace to
carry the Gospel into the next stage of life.
💶 Cost Breakdown (Per
Person)
|
Category |
Budget (USD) |
Mid‑Range (USD) |
|
Lodging (6 nights) |
$300–$450 |
$600–$900 |
|
Meals |
$150–$210 |
$300–$420 |
|
Transport |
$40–$80 |
$80–$160 |
|
Sightseeing & Tips |
$50–$100 |
$100–$200 |
|
Total Estimate |
$540–$840 |
$1,080–$1,680 |
Daily
Devotions/Activities
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: The
sanctification of the Church Militant.
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary.
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