Thursday, January 8, 2026

Rachel’s Corner

· Spirit hour: “Busch Bavarian Beer” the choice of Icemen

o Excerpt from my dad’s book: Havermale, Richard. The Ice is nice and chee-chee is peachy (pp. 24-25). Unknown. Kindle Edition.

§ “Busch” which claims to be especially brewed for “Operation Deep Freeze” was rumored to have just a hint of formaldehyde in it to keep it from freezing and if you drank too much you might experience hallucinations.

o If you find beer is not to your taste, try a “Pina Colada”

· Bucket List Trip: The Taj Mahal India

· How to celebrate Jan 8th

o You wake up and decide to kickstart your day with a rejuvenating bubble bath to celebrate self-care. As you soak, why not indulge in English toffee for breakfast, embracing the joy of indulgence? Next, tackle Earth’s Rotation Day by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, keeping active and enjoying a small victory for sustainable living. For lunch, embrace the spirit of career development on Career Coach Day by setting aside time to update your resume or learn a new skill online.

o In the afternoon, pamper yourself with some winter skin relief, making a DIY face mask or simply moisturizing your skin. To honor the War on Poverty, consider donating gently used clothes or food to those in need. How about celebrating World Typing Day by writing a heartfelt letter to a friend or family member, keeping the art of handwritten communication alive?

o Wrap up your day by donning your favorite argyle socks and sharing a fun fact or story with colleagues to mark Show & Tell At Work Day. Each of these holidays offers a chance to infuse your day with variety and purpose, reminding you to embrace the little things that bring joy and meaning to your daily routine.

· Get your Soup On

· Hot Tea Month

· 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

Best Place to visit in January: Utah, USA

Catch a feature flick at America’s largest independent film festival. Sundance was founded in 1978 to showcase indie filmmakers and has since ballooned into an 10-day celebration of cinematic storytelling. Each January, the festival sprawls across snow-capped Park City, high in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. Many iconic filmmakers have early roots in Sundance, including Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson.

When you’ve caught up on the year’s most anticipated movies, stretch your legs on the slopes. Utah is a winter sport wonderland with frequent fresh dustings across its craggy mountain ranges. Snowboard straight down to Main Street from Park City Mountain Resort or head to skiers-only Deer Valley Resort. Pow Mow (Powder Mountain), meanwhile, is the spot for night riding and remote snowcat skiing across 1,200 acres of off-piste powder.

(Combine skiing with a US road trip in Utah's Wasatch Mountains.)

Sustainable tip: Go green by hopping on one of the city’s complimentary zero-emission electric buses and supporting shops that stock locally made products. Browse cosmetics and glass art at Made in Park City or bourbon barrel-aged chocolate at small-batch maker Ritual. More locally owned pit stops can be found on Visit Park City’s website.

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

Drink
hors d'oeuvre
Soup
Salad
Main Course
Dessert

🇧🇪 Brussels – Alliance Resilience & Eucharistic Anchors

A week of civic resilience, Eucharistic clarity, military recreation, and cultural endurance

Day 1 – Fri, Jan 9 – Arrival & Base Orientation

Lodging: Army Lodging – Brussels Inn ($65–$95/night)

Evening walk in Brussels’ Grand Place (UNESCO civic anchor)

Orientation at USAG Brussels Fitness Center – MWR

Day 2 – Sat, Jan 10 – Civic Anchors & Recreation

Morning visit to St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral (Eucharistic clarity)

Afternoon Outdoor Rec trip: Bruges canals and civic squares (~€40, transport + guide)

Evening bowling or intramural sports via MWR Brussels

Day 3 – Sun, Jan 11 – Sunday Mass & Civic Witness (Baptism of the Lord)

Sunday Catholic Mass at Brussels Chapel: 9:00 AM (USAG Brussels Religious Support Office)

Afternoon civic witness in Leuven – university and civic squares

Evening resilience: base community center family activities

Day 4 – Mon, Jan 12 – Civic Resilience & Fitness

Excursion to Antwerp – cathedral and civic witness in diamond district

Afternoon workout at Brussels Fitness Center

Dinner: Belgian moules-frites with Trappist beer pairing

Day 5 – Tue, Jan 13 – Fortress Witness & Outdoor Rec

Visit Waterloo battlefield (fortress of civic endurance)

Outdoor Rec trip: Ardennes forest hike (~€50, transport + guide)

Evening bowling league

Day 6 – Wed, Jan 14 – Monastic Clarity & Civic Witness

Visit Villers Abbey (monastic clarity, ruins of Cistercian monastery)

Civic witness: Belgian comic strip museum in Brussels

Evening resilience at base community center

Day 7 – Thu, Jan 15 – Firelight Finale

Rooftop vigil with candlelight at Brussels Inn

Ritual Act: Pour wine into a chalice, light a candle, and name one fortress that became mercy

Final workout at Brussels Fitness Center before departure

🔑 Key Notes

Lodging: Brussels Inn is the quarters hub; book early for winter season.

Outdoor Rec: Bruges, Ardennes, and Waterloo are highlights.

Fitness: Brussels Fitness Center open daily; intramural sports and bowling leagues available.

Masses: Sunday and Holy Day Masses at Brussels Chapel anchor the week (Jan 11 – Baptism of the Lord).

JANUARY 8 Thursday after Epiphany

Our Lady of Prompt Succor-Elvis’s Birthday

Genesis, Chapter 31, Verse 53

May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us!” Jacob took the oath by the FEAR of his father Isaac.

Laban and Jacob both take oaths here not to war with each other. Nahor^{^[1]} was the brother of Abraham and an idol worshiper who used several God’s as a type of insurance policy. Laban here is doing the same mentioning His gods, but Jacob wanted to ensure Laban that there is only one God which he states was the Fear of Isaac. Laban sets up a pillar as a border line for the two to prevent trespassing, which leads often to war. War and the taking of life by one another have been with us since Cain slew Abel. Christ the promise of God came to stop the cycle of revenge to change the law of an eye for an eye.

Yet, there are times when one must take up the sword and not stand by to let the evil defile the weak. We are not to tolerate bullies or murderers. God was not pleased with our Nation when we idly watched the slaughter that took place neither in Rwanda nor at our silence while our courts allow the murder of children by abortion and the selling of their body parts.

Fortitude^{^[2]}

Ways to live out the gift of fortitude in your life, bestowed upon you by the Holy Spirit at your Confirmation.

Speak out against evil wherever you find it.
Take the job in which you can do the best for the spiritual welfare of others.
Be cheerful at your work; practice the apostolate of smiling; it will cost an effort at times.
Have a loving solicitude for all with whom you come in contact, especially for those who are friendless.
Fight down your own evil passions daily with renewed energy.
Be ready to defend your Faith in word, deed, and association.
Bring happiness where there is strife.
Live your Faith; join organizations that promote Catholic Action.
Advise others what to do in a spiritual difficulty; make sure the advice is correct.
Stay informed on Catholic news; it will help when explaining the Faith to those outside of the Church.
Forsake the job rather than Christian principles.

Copilot’s Take-On Confronting Evil

To confront evil is to stand where Jacob stood—unwilling to flatter false gods, unwilling to pretend that all intentions are harmless, and unwilling to let darkness pass unchallenged. Scripture teaches that peace is never the fruit of denial; it is the fruit of truth spoken plainly and boundaries drawn firmly. Christ ends the cycle of revenge, but He never blesses indifference to the suffering of the weak. The gift of fortitude demands that we name evil without fear, resist it without hatred, and oppose it without becoming it. It is the courage to guard the vulnerable, to refuse complicity through silence, and to let the fear of the Lord—not the fear of conflict—govern our choices. Evil advances when believers become spectators; it retreats when they stand in the light with clarity, charity, and unshakable resolve.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor[3]

Our Lady of Prompt Succor – Feast Day – January 8

The national votive shrine of our lady of prompt succor serves God and all God’s people as the center of devotion to the Mother of Jesus under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor—Our Lady of Quick Help. The Shrine is a place of pilgrimage, worship and prayer. It welcomes all who try to live in faith and love, with a special commitment to those whose hope and trust in Mary lead them to seek her motherly care and consolation.

Since 1727, long before her statue arrived on November 10^th,1810 and was enshrined in the Ursuline Convent Chapel in the French Quarter, devotion to Notre Dame de Prompt Secours had spread among the Ursuline Sisters, their students and the women and men of New Orleans. Prayers for deliverance from wars, fire, pestilence, disease, storms, despair and hopelessness were made to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.

In 1815, in gratitude for the miracle of America's victory over the British in the Battle of New Orleans, the Ursulines, along with Bishop Louis Du Bourg, made a promise to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving each year on the feast day of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.

In 1895, the statue, gilded in gold, was crowned by Decree of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII; and in 1928, the Holy See approved and confirmed the naming of Our Lady of Prompt Succor as the Principal Patroness of the City of New Orleans and of the State of Louisiana. Standing in the central niche over the main altar on State Street, she welcomes all who come to honor her, to thank her for intercession, and to pray for her help and protection, not only from global wars and devastating storms, but, also, in overcoming greater enemies…poverty, illness, ignorance, racism and violence.

A woman of Influence[4]

Taking Mary’s virtues to work

“The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect, and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women impregnated with a spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid humanity in not falling.” (Closing speeches Vatican Council II, 12/8/65).

Mother Mary is a perfect role model for all women, of course, but for women who work in particular. According to St. Louis de Montfort, Mary has principal virtues, which when practiced help to lead us to her Son and create a home and world that celebrates the greatness of the Lord.

· Profound Humility:

o Are you focused on others more than yourself?

o Do you recognize the work of the team, or are you taking credit for the work?

o Do you care who gets the credit?

o Does this impact the way you treat others?

Ardent Charity:

o How can you demonstrate great love at work?

§ This is not the same love as a spousal love, of course.

o How do you approach your employees?

o Your supervisors?

o Your clients?

o Your customers?

o Is your approach focused on valuing a relationship more than a material good?

o Are you able to articulate information and ideas in a mutually respectful way?

· Angelic Sweetness:

o Is your approach nurturing and relational?

o Do you avoid calumniation of fellow co-workers and supervisors?

o Even when difficult, do you respond to others at work by extending grace and mercy?

· Heroic Patience:

o Do you really listen at work?

o Are you able to rise above a situation in order to assist others as they learn new tasks?

o Do you hold your temper or judgment about your supervisor when you disagree with them?

o Are you willing in your attitude to seek understanding of others, even when it is difficult?

· Divine Wisdom:

o Recalling your baptism, and especially your confirmation, do you recall and use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in your work decisions?

o Do you pray for guidance?

o Do you seek Biblical and Church tradition answers and solutions?

o Do you show gratitude to God when you recognize divine wisdom at work?

Mary’s virtues bring us to a very feminine leadership style: one steeped in relationship building, not shying away from truth or faith, but approaching others in grace. When practiced at work, these virtues of Our Lady can lead us to Holiness and a fulfilled leadership at the job.

Fifteenth Day of Christmas-Candles[5]

Candles are a symbol of Christ, the Light of the World. The wax is regarded as typifying in a most appropriate way the flesh of Jesus Christ born of a virgin mother. From this has sprung the further conception that the wick symbolizes more particularly the soul of Jesus Christ and the flame the Divinity which absorbs and dominates both. — Catholic Encyclopedia

Day Fifteen activity (Mexican Christmas)
Day Fifteen recipe (Little Mince Pies)

Bible in a Year Day 191 The Babylonian Exile

As we finish our journey in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, Fr. Mike highlights the Babylonian exile as a critical event in the story of salvation. Although the exile is a dark and devastating part of the Israel's history, Fr. Mike reminds us that it's not the end of their story. Today's readings are 2 Kings 25, 2 Chronicles 36, and Proverbs 9:1-6.

Celebrating Elvis' Birthday[6]

On Jan. 8, 1935, Elvis Presley was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Miss. Every year, Graceland — Elvis' estate in Memphis — hosts a five-day-long birthday celebration. Rise bright and early for the Elvis Birthday Proclamation Ceremony on Graceland’s North Lawn and stay for the birthday-cake cutting.

Elvis and the Nun[7]

Dolores Hart began her career as an actress when she was only 19 years old, making her screen debut in 1957 as Elvis' sweetheart in Loving You. Dolores became an overnight success story and starred with Elvis again in King Creole the following year in 1958. She then took on Broadway, starring in The Pleasure of His Company in 1959, for which she won a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress. Further movie hits followed, including the hugely popular Where the Boys Are and Lisa, the story of a young Holocaust survivor, which earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Picture/Drama. By now one of Hollywood's rising stars, she went on to make six more films, among them St. Francis of Assisi, where she portrayed Clare, a woman who gives up everything to follow Saint Francis and founds the Order of Poor Clare’s. Dolores' last film role was opposite Hugh O'Brien in 1963 in Come Fly with Me.

At the height of her career, Dolores stunned the world by making the decision to become a cloistered nun and enter the Abbey of Regina Laudis. "I just knew that this was what God wanted from me," she said years later. Mother Dolores' mission as an actress did not end, but rather took a contemplative turn. "I never felt I was 'walking away from Hollywood'" she said recently. "I felt I was walking into something more significant and by that, I took Hollywood with me."

Daily Devotions

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

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Rosary

[1] http://coatofmanycolors.net/2012/08/24/nahor-abrahams-brother/

[2]Our Christian Home by Rev. Joseph A. Fischer, Seraphic Press, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1954

[3] https://www.shrineofourladyofpromptsuccor.com/

[4]http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2013/01/wallace-everyday-example-of-mary-for-women-who-work/

[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-01-08

[6]https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/travels-best/photos/awesome-things-to-do-in-january

[7] https://abbeyofreginalaudis.org/community-mdh.html

Here’s a polished, citation‑grounded breakdown of Millie (1931)—a quintessential pre‑Code Hollywood drama with all the moral volatility, sexual frankness, and social critique that era allowed.

🎬 Millie (1931)

Starring: Helen Twelvetrees, Lilyan Tashman, Joan Blondell
Director: John Francis Dillon
Studio: RKO Radio Pictures
Release: February 1931
Source: Based on the 1930 novel by Donald Henderson Clarke.

📘 Plot Summary (Grounded in Sources)

Millie Blake (Helen Twelvetrees) is a young woman who marries wealthy New Yorker Jack Maitland. After three years—and one child—she discovers he is unfaithful and divorces him. Out of pride, she refuses alimony but allows Jack’s family to keep custody of their daughter so the child can maintain a comfortable life.

Millie rebuilds herself:

She rises through the ranks at a luxury hotel.
She rejects the advances of banker Jimmy Damier.
She falls for reporter Tommy Rock—only to discover he, too, is unfaithful.

Betrayed twice, Millie hardens. She joins her friends Helen (Lilyan Tashman) and Angie (Joan Blondell) in a nightlife of parties, men, and emotional detachment.

Years later, Millie learns that Damier is grooming her now‑teenage daughter Connie. Millie confronts him at a remote lodge and kills him to protect her child.

The film ends with a courtroom battle and a surprisingly sympathetic resolution—one only possible in the pre‑Code era.

🎭 Why It’s Classic Pre‑Code

The film contains elements that would be censored just a few years later:

Unpunished extramarital sex
A mother who kills to protect her daughter
Women living independently, drinking, and choosing lovers
Hints of same‑sex camaraderie and coded lesbianism (noted by critics)

It’s a portrait of a woman refusing to be destroyed by male betrayal—something the Production Code would later forbid.

✝️ Catholic Moral Reading (Your Style)

This film is a rich meditation on betrayal, maternal sacrifice, and the cost of sin.

1. Millie as the Wounded Mother

She is not immoral—she is wounded, and her bitterness grows from repeated betrayal.
Her arc mirrors the spiritual danger of unresolved hurt:
wounds become armor, and armor becomes isolation.