Tuesday, February 3, 2026

St. Blaise stands as a quiet but unshakable reminder that confronting evil begins not with outrage but with interior steadiness, the kind that comes from belonging to Christ more than to the news cycle. His world was filled with violence, corruption, and fear, yet he met it with a bishop’s courage and a healer’s gentleness, refusing to let darkness dictate the terms of his soul. The Church teaches that evil is real but never ultimate, and St. Blaise embodies that truth by showing how a Christian resists without becoming hardened, speaks truth without becoming shrill, and protects the vulnerable without becoming cynical. When today’s headlines tempt us toward despair or anger, his witness urges us to guard our voice, guard our heart, and guard the weak—because holiness, lived steadily and without theatrics, is the most decisive way to confront the world’s disorder.

Candace’s Corner

· Spirit hour

· Pray Day 1 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops

· Tuesday: Litany of St. Michael the Archangel

· Carnival Time begins in Catholic Countries.

· Try Lavash Baked Trout Fish

· Bucket List trip: Santorini

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· 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

· How to celebrate Feb. 3

o National Golden Retriever Day

o Harley Quinn Month

o Elmo’s Birthday

o Venice Carnival

🍇 Candace’s Worldwide Vineyard Tour

Week 13: South Africa — Stellenbosch & Franschhoek

Theme: Vine of Light, Vine of Restoration
Dates: February 3–9, 2026
Base: Stellenbosch • Franschhoek • Cape Winelands
Seasonal Note: High summer — warm breezes, bright vineyards, and long evenings of golden light.

🗓️ Tuesday, February 3 – Arrival in Cape Town → Stellenbosch

✈️ Travel: Arrive at Cape Town International Airport
🚐 Transfer: 35 minutes to Stellenbosch (_{$30 Uber)}_🏨_Lodging:_{Oude Werf Hotel}₍$120/night)
🌙 Evening: Walk Stellenbosch’s oak‑lined streets
🔥 Symbolic Act — “Light of the Vine”
Light a candle at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Stellenbosch, asking for restoration in one area of your life.

🗓️ Wednesday, February 4 – Tokara & Helshoogte Pass

🍷 Visit: Tokara Wine Estate (_{$20 tasting)}_🌄_{Overlook: Helshoogte Pass — sweeping valley views}_🍽️_{Lunch: Tokara Deli (}$18)
🌱 Symbolic Act — “Restoration Rising”
Write a short reflection on where you feel called to rebuild or renew.

🗓️ Thursday, February 5 – Franschhoek Wine Tram Day

🚋 Experience: Franschhoek Wine Tram (~$25 day pass)
🍷 Stops:

· Haute Cabrière

· Rickety Bridge

· La Bourgogne Farm
✨ Symbolic Act — “Joy in Motion”
Name one joy you want to protect and cultivate this year.

🗓️ Friday, February 6 – Babylonstoren & Garden Walk

🏛️ Visit: Babylonstoren — Cape Dutch farm + gardens
🍷 Tasting: Cellar experience (~$15)
🌳 Garden Walk: Healing herbs, fruit trees, water channels
🔥 Symbolic Act — “Garden of Restoration”
Choose one plant or tree that symbolizes the healing you seek.

🗓️ Saturday, February 7 – Waterford Estate & Chocolate Pairing

🍷 Visit: Waterford Estate (~$25 tasting + chocolate pairing)
🚶 Vineyard Walk: Summer vines in full leaf
✍️ Reflection: Journal under the citrus trees
🌄 Symbolic Act — “Sweetness Returned”
Write a gratitude line for something that has quietly healed.

🗓️ Sunday, February 8 – Mass & Vineyard Benediction

⛪ Mass: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Stellenbosch
🕚 Typical Sunday Mass: 11:00 AM
🍷 Visit: Kanonkop Estate — legendary Pinotage (~$20 tasting)

✍️ Writing: Compose a blessing for the next vineyard traveler
🥂 Evening: Toast with Stellenbosch Pinotage
🌄 Symbolic Act — “Cape Benediction”
Bless the mountains, the vines, and the light that restores.

🗓️ Monday, February 9 – Departure

🚐 Return: Stellenbosch → Cape Town
✈️ Depart: Cape Town International Airport
🌍 Suggested Next Stop:

· New Zealand (Marlborough) — “Vine of Purity, Vine of Wind”

· Argentina (Mendoza) — “Vine of Altitude, Vine of Courage”

· Australia (Barossa Valley) — “Vine of Heat, Vine of Strength”

💰 Estimated Total Cost: ~$760 USD

Includes:

· 6 nights lodging

· 5–6 vineyard tastings

· Franschhoek Wine Tram

· Garden + estate visits

· Sunday Mass

February 3 Tuesday

Feast of St. Blaise

Mark, Chapter 5, Verse 35-36

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be AFRAID; just have faith.”

The Gospel’s message is direct and liberating: “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

Jesus calls us to trust Him even when every sign says it’s too late. Faith opens the door to the Holy Spirit, who brings knowledge, understanding, and counsel. When we yield to His promptings, prudence deepens, clarity sharpens, and holiness becomes our desire. Christ is always accessible — and always urging us to trust Him more.

DISCERNMENT of Life[1]

In a world overflowing with noise, options, and constant motion, one question quietly shapes the direction of our lives:

How do we know what truly comes from the Holy Spirit?

Not every impulse, opportunity, or desire is from God. Some come from the world’s distractions, and some from darker influences that pull us away from freedom.

The Church calls this lifelong skill discernment. It’s more than intelligence or common sense. It is a gift — one God gladly gives to those who ask. We cultivate it through prayer, silence, reflection, Scripture, wise counsel, and a willingness to let God speak into our real lives.

An urgent need

Modern life bombards us with choices. We jump between screens, scroll through endless feeds, and live in a culture of constant stimulation. Everything is presented as good, urgent, and desirable.

Without discernment, we become prey to whatever is loudest or newest.

Sometimes a new opportunity is truly “new wine” from God.
Sometimes it’s an illusion. And sometimes the enemy works in the opposite direction — keeping us stuck, rigid, afraid to change, and resistant to the Spirit’s movement.

Discernment helps us recognize what leads to freedom, what leads to bondage, and what leads to Christ.

“Test everything; hold fast to what is good.” —

1 Thessalonians 5:21

Always in the light of the Lord

We often think discernment is for big decisions, but most of the Spirit’s work happens in the small, hidden corners of daily life.

Discernment helps us:

Notice God’s timing

Respond to His invitations

Grow in holiness through ordinary responsibilities

Avoid missing the quiet promptings of grace

A simple daily examination of conscience becomes one of the most powerful tools for this — a way of asking, “Lord, where were You today, and how did I respond?”

A supernatural gift

Discernment uses psychology, experience, and Church teaching — but it surpasses them. It is about God’s personal plan for each of us, a plan only He fully sees.

It’s not about:

comfort

success

self-satisfaction

or even peace of mind

It’s about meaning, mission, and relationship with the Father who knows and loves us.

God speaks through Scripture, through people, through circumstances — but we cannot hear Him without silence. Prolonged prayer clears the fog, calms anxiety, and lets us see our lives in God’s light.

Speak, Lord

True discernment requires a willingness to listen — not only to God, but to others, and to reality itself. This means letting go of rigid habits, old assumptions, and the desire to control outcomes.

Sometimes God calls us out of comfort.
Sometimes He calls us into change.
Sometimes He calls us to stay and endure.

Discernment is not about repeating old solutions. It is about letting the Holy Spirit reveal what is needed today.

The logic of gift and of the cross

To grow in discernment, we must learn God’s patience and God’s timing. His ways are not ours.

Discernment is not about “What can I get out of life?”

It is about “How can I fulfill the mission entrusted to me at baptism?”

This requires: generosity sacrifice courage and a willingness to let God into every part of our life God asks for everything — but He gives everything in return.

He does not enter our lives to diminish them, but to bring them to fullness.

Discernment is not self-analysis.

It is a journey outward — toward God, toward others, toward the mission that makes our life meaningful.

Copilot’s Take on Confronting Evil

Evil is confronted not by force or fury but by the same quiet power that triumphed on Calvary: the self-giving love and steadfast fidelity revealed in the Cross. Evil feeds on fear, confusion, and the instinct for self‑protection, yet Christ overturns all of this with His simple command, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” When we meet darkness with trust, truth, and sacrificial love, we disarm it at its root. The logic of the Cross teaches us that real victory often looks like endurance, generosity, and courage in hidden places — choosing faith when fear presses in, choosing charity when hatred tempts us, choosing mission over comfort. Evil cannot imitate this and cannot overcome it. In every trial, the Cross stands as our pattern and our power, reminding us that God’s strength is revealed precisely where our own ends, and that fidelity to Christ is the surest path to overcoming whatever seeks to diminish the soul.

Feast of St. Blaise^{^[2]}

While he was in prison, the Armenian Bishop Blaise (who suffered martyrdom in the fourth century) miraculously cured a little boy choking on a fishbone lodged in his throat. Ever since then, St. Blaise has been the patron saint of throats. Saint Blaise Sticks (pan bendito) are distributed on his feast and kept in the home to be eaten for a sore throat. The most popular custom, however, is the Blessing of Throats.

Blessing of throats^{^[3]}

The rite of the blessing of throats may take place before or after Mass. The priest or deacon places the candles around the throat of whoever seeks the blessing, using the formula: "Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you free from every disease of the throat, and from every other disease. In the name of the Father and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen."

Things to Do

· Take your children to Mass to receive the blessing of throats today.

· Establish a home altar with the blessed candles (symbols of Saint Blaise) from the feast of the Presentation, February 2.

· Visit this website and learn more about St. Blaise and how he saved Dubrovnik in Croatia in the 12th century.

Feast of St. Blaise—Invoking Against Diseases of the Throat

A physician of Sebaste in Cappodocia, where he was later named Bishop, St. Blaise was martyred about the year 320. He is venerated as a patron to protect us against diseases of the throat, mainly because of the story told that he cured a boy choking from a fishbone.

As a doctor Blaise went into every home, at all hours of the day and night, knew both the rich and poor of the neighborhood, comforted and cured and advised all. As a bishop, he did the same thing. It was said that people had to look for him in the prisons, in the caves with hermits, in the mountains and the valleys, so fast were his steps to search out and to help each member of his flock.

Blaise also had the reputation for curing sick and wounded animals, it was while he tended an animal that some of the governor's hunters found him and announced him as a Christian. This was their best catch, a bishop; and Blaise was ready, for he had been warned in prayer to prepare himself as a sacrifice. On his way to prison, Blaise greets his people along the way, says goodbye to them, evangelizes them and baptizes. As he speaks, a voice is heard on the streets:

"Stop," says a woman, "my child is dying!"

"And what is the matter with this child?"

"There is a fishbone in his throat, and it is strangling him."

Is it a physician or a bishop that is needed? Blaise does not hesitate medicine is too long, faith is shorter. He touches the elbow of the little boy, and commands the fishbone in the name of its maker:

"Go down or come out, by the law of the All-Powerful!"

The fishbone disappears and the child is returned safe and sound to his mother.

Blaise is thrown into prison, from which there is no exit except by adoration of the pagan gods. Upon his first refusal to worship, Blaise is whipped; and this achieves nothing, attempts are made to buy him off: he must keep his faith to himself and simply appear at the official ceremonies of the state. Again, he refuses, and is tortured, beaten and thrown into prison again.

"You punish my body," says Blaise, "but there is nothing you can do to my soul. If he wished, my God could snatch my body from your hands. His will be done."

"Do you think he could save you, if I had you drowned like cat in a pond?" asked the governor. Thereupon he orders Blaise to be thrown into a nearby lake and is astonished to find the waters remain frozen like ice, unwilling to be an accomplice in the death of this holy man. In a frenzy, a soldier draws his sword, and with a single blow delivers Blaise from the hands of his tormentors into those of the living God. Excerpted from The Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints, Volume 2

THE RACCOLTA[4]

387. Prayer to St Blaise.

300 Days, once a day. (See Instructions.) 387 Leo XIII, May 13, 1903.

O GLORIOUS St Blaise, who with a short prayer didst restore to perfect safety a child at the point of death from a fishbone fixed in its throat, grant that we may all feel the power of thy patronage in every malady of the throat and may have the special grace to mortify the dangerous sense of taste by observing faithfully the precepts of the Church. Thou also, who in thy martyrdom hast left to the Church the testimony of a glorious faith, grant that we may keep this divine gift intact, and that in these times we may be enabled, by word and deed, without fear of man, to defend the truths of faith, so grievously obscured and attacked.

Bible in a Year Day 216 The Suffering Servant

Fr. Mike marvels at the beauty of Isaiah 53, which reveals that Jesus is the Lord's suffering servant and also zeroes in on Ezekiel 15, which reminds us that without God we are like a useless vine that bears no fruit. Today we read Isaiah 53-54, Ezekiel 14-15, and Proverbs 12:25-28.

Litany of Trust- “Deliver me, Jesus, from the fear that I am unlovable.”

Epiphany’s light continues its quiet unveiling, moving from the fear that our past is unforgivable to the deeper, more intimate fear that we ourselves are unlovable. This fear does not arise from a single moment or mistake. It grows slowly, often unnoticed, shaped by wounds, comparisons, disappointments, and the quiet suspicion that love is something fragile — something we must earn, maintain, or deserve.

But Epiphany reveals a God who does not love conditionally.

He does not love the polished version of us.
He does not love the future version of us.
He loves the person we are right now — the one He formed, the one He carries, the one He refuses to abandon.

The fear of being unlovable often hides beneath our strengths. It hides beneath our humor, our competence, our independence, our silence. It whispers that if anyone knew us completely, they would step back. It tells us that love is limited, that affection is scarce, that belonging is fragile.

Christ contradicts this fear simply by being who He is.

He does not love reluctantly.
He does not love sparingly.
He does not love theoretically.
He loves personally, fully, and without hesitation.

To pray this petition is to allow Epiphany’s light to fall on the deepest questions of the heart. It is to let Christ speak into the places where we have doubted our dignity. It is to trust that the One who knows us completely loves us completely.

This prayer invites us to release the belief that love must be earned.
It calls us to trust that we are not tolerated — we are cherished.
Not barely accepted — deeply desired.
Not conditionally welcomed — eternally held.

To pray these words this week is to step into the truth Epiphany reveals:
that we are loved not because we are flawless,
but because God is faithful.

Daily Devotions

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

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Rosary

[1]http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html#A_supernatural_gift

[2]http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/postepiphanycustoms.html#candlemas

[3]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-02-03

[4]http://liturgialatina.org/raccolta/trinity.htm#:~:text=A%20plenary%20indulgence%20for%20ever%2C%20once%20in%20a,according%20to%20the%20intention%20of%20the%20Sovereign%20Pontiff.

🎬 The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Studio: Gaumont-British Picture Corporation
Runtime: 75 minutes
Starring: Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre, Nova Pilbeam
Release: 9 December 1934 (UK)

🧭 Plot Overview

Bob and Jill Lawrence, vacationing in Switzerland with their daughter Betty, befriend a Frenchman, Louis Bernard.
Bernard is assassinated while dancing with Jill; with his dying breath he reveals a secret about an impending political assassination.
To silence the Lawrences, the conspirators kidnap Betty.
Back in London, Bob and Jill must navigate a shadowy network of spies, a sun‑worshipping cult, and a looming assassination attempt at the Royal Albert Hall.
Jill’s climactic scream disrupts the assassin’s shot, leading to a tense siege as the parents fight to rescue their daughter.

🎭 Cast Highlights

Leslie Banks as Bob Lawrence — steady, determined, and morally anchored.
Edna Best as Jill Lawrence — a mother whose courage becomes the film’s moral center.
Peter Lorre as Abbott — chilling, charismatic villainy in his first English‑language role.

🎞️ Why This Film Matters

Hitchcock’s Early Mastery

A prototype for the “ordinary person in extraordinary danger” theme he would refine in later works.
The Royal Albert Hall sequence is one of Hitchcock’s earliest demonstrations of pure visual suspense.
Peter Lorre’s performance adds a modern, unsettling edge that still holds up.

Production Roots

Originally conceived from a shelved Bulldog Drummond story.
Influenced by screenwriter Charles Bennett’s WWI intelligence experience and possibly the Lindbergh kidnapping.

✝️ Catholic Moral & Devotional Reading

1. The Vocation of Parents

Bob and Jill’s relentless pursuit of their daughter mirrors the spiritual truth that parents are guardians of life and innocence.
Their courage reflects the domestic church defending its own.

2. The Power of a Single Moral Act

Jill’s scream—one decisive moment—prevents an act of political murder.
A reminder that small, courageous acts can interrupt cycles of evil.

3. Evil Prefers Silence

The kidnappers’ threat—“Tell no one or your daughter dies”—echoes the spiritual tactic of isolating the good.
The Church teaches that truth spoken at the right moment is an act of charity.