Saturday, February 21, 2026

As we enter this Lenten season, I invite you to support and share the new Coffee with Christ audiobook, now available on Audible

Vinny’s Corner

Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.

(Deuteronomy 31:6)

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

· National Chip Week

· How to celebrate Feb 21

Pilgrimage

🏨 Where We Stay

Pilgerhaus Tabgha (German Benedictine Guesthouse)
Website: https://www.pilgerhaus-tabgha.de/en/

On the shores of the Sea of Galilee

Quiet, clean, and deeply prayerful

Walking distance to the Primacy of Peter and the Multiplication Church

Ideal base for all Galilee sites

Alternative:
Casa Nova Tiberias (Franciscan, simple, affordable)

✝️ Where We Attend Mass

Church of the Multiplication (Tabgha)

Website: https://www.benedictines.org/tabgha

Secondary options:

Church of the Primacy of Peter
Search: Primacy of Peter Tabgha (bing.com in Bing)

Magdala Center (Duc in Altum Chapel)
Search: Magdala Center Galilee (bing.com in Bing)

🗓️ Daily Itinerary & Symbolic Acts

Feb 21 – Arrival at the Sea of Galilee

🌊 Symbolic Act: “Stepping Onto the Shore of Calling”

Travel from Nazareth to Tabgha

Walk the shoreline where Christ called Peter, Andrew, James, and John

Offer the week for clarity of mission

Mass: Church of the Multiplication
Stay: Pilgerhaus Tabgha

Feb 22 – Mount of Beatitudes

⛰️ Symbolic Act: “Receiving the Constitution of the Kingdom”

Visit the Mount of Beatitudes

Read Matthew 5–7 slowly

Ask Christ to form your interior law

Mass: Mount of Beatitudes Chapel or Tabgha
Stay: Pilgerhaus

Feb 23 – Capernaum (Town of Jesus)

🏠 Symbolic Act: “Letting Christ Teach in Your House”

Visit Capernaum:

House of Peter

Synagogue where Jesus taught

Reflect on authority, healing, and spiritual leadership

Mass: St. Peter’s Memorial (Capernaum)
Stay: Pilgerhaus

Feb 24 – Sea of Galilee Boat Day

⛵ Symbolic Act: “Learning to Walk on Water”

Take a simple boat ride on the Sea of Galilee

Read Matthew 14:22–33

Offer your fears, storms, and uncertainties to Christ

Mass: Magdala (Duc in Altum)
Stay: Pilgerhaus

Feb 25 – Magdala & Mary Magdalene

🌹 Symbolic Act: “Letting Christ Call You by Name”

Visit Magdala

Pray in the Encounter Chapel

Reflect on healing, identity, and restored dignity

Mass: Magdala
Stay: Pilgerhaus

Feb 26 – Primacy of Peter

🗝️ Symbolic Act: “Do You Love Me?”

Visit the Church of the Primacy of Peter

Pray John 21 on the shoreline

Renew your love for Christ and your willingness to serve

Mass: Primacy of Peter
Stay: Pilgerhaus

Feb 27 – Golan Heights / Hermon Region (Optional Adventure Day)

⛰️ Symbolic Act: “Strength for the High Places”

Optional hike or scenic overlook

Reflect on the Transfiguration (Mount Hermon region)

Offer your desire for spiritual clarity and courage

Mass: Tabgha
Stay: Pilgerhaus

Feb 28 – Departure & Sending Forth

🌅 Symbolic Act: “Launching Into the Deep”

Final sunrise on the Sea of Galilee

Whisper the prayer:
“Lord, command me to come to You on the waters.”

Depart strengthened for the next stage: Jerusalem

Mass: Church of the Multiplication
Stay: Pilgerhaus (checkout)

💶 Cost Snapshot (Per Person)

Lodging (7 nights): $350–$525

Meals: $175–$245

Transport: $90–$160

Entrance Fees: $20–$50

Total: $635–$980

FEBRUARY 21 Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Deuteronomy, Chapter 1, Verse 21

See, the LORD, your God, has given this land over to you. Go up and take possession of it, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Do not FEAR or be dismayed.”

God gave the land of Israel to the Israelites as an eternal possession; land could be leased to pay debts, but it always reverted back to the family who owned it. In a similar way Christ has given the possession of your eternal soul back over to you after you leased it out to the evil one. Do not fear or be dismayed to take possession of it.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)

As children of God we must take possession our soul just as the Israelites took possession of the land. A man in possession of his soul seeks to live in such a way that he does not lose possession of his soul. He strives to place first things first and he endeavors to follow God’s holy Will in his life. Conversion means turning to God and keeping the four last things in our mind when we are tempted: Death, Judgment, Heaven and hell. Immediately after death we will be judged and our private judgment will be repeated on the Day of Judgment; when all men will know us for what we are. If we have done our best and followed Christ’s commandments (if you love me you will keep my commandments) we will join Him in Heaven but if we have ignored His commandments and refused to make use of His help (via the church sacraments) we shall be condemned to hell. [1]. Therefore; strive to love God in your daily life and make use of His grace. When you fall, immediately make a prayer in honor of the Wound of His Holy Shoulder making use of His grace in the sacrament of confession at the earliest opportunity and receive Holy Communion.

O Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of Thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee, and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross. Amen.

Imprimatur: Thomas D. Beven, Bishop of Springfield

It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering, and Our Lord answered: "I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound, which was more painful than the others, and which is not recorded by men. Honor this wound with thy devotion, and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins, and will no longer remember their mortal sins."[2]

Daily Devotions/Prayers

Drops of Christ’s Blood^{^[3]} St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Bridget, wishing to know something of the Passion of Jesus Christ, offered fervent and special prayers. Upon which Our Lord revealed to them:

To all the faithful who shall recite for 3 years, each day, 2 Our Fathers, 2 Hail Mary’s and 2 Glory Be’s in honor of the drops of Blood I lost, I will concede the following 5 graces:

The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins.

You will be free from the pains of Purgatory.

If you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them.

It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith.

I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation.

Blessed by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII in Rome, April 5, 1890

The thought of saving souls should always be on our mind. St. John Bosco stated it well. "There is nothing more holy in this world than to work for the good of souls, for whose salvation Jesus Christ poured out the last drops of His blood." St. Vincent de Paul tells us that: "The salvation of men and our own are so great a good that they merit to be obtained at any price."

Sad to say, the great majority of catholics put forth little or no effort in promoting the greater honor and glory of god and the salvation of souls. Let us keep in mind that if we manage to save one soul, we also ensure the salvation of our own. The holy ghost reveals this to us in the holy bible. [st. James 5: 19-20] this little practice gives us a very easy way to save.

Aids in Battle[4] The Devil fears those who pray

My dear brothers and sisters, not only is prayer very powerful; even more, it’s of the utmost necessity for overcoming the enemies of our salvation. Look at all the saints: They weren’t content with watching and fighting to overcome the enemies of their salvation and with keeping well away from all that could offer them temptation. They passed their whole lives in prayer, not only the day, but very often the whole night as well. Yes, my dear children, we watch over ourselves and all the motions of our hearts in vain, and in vain we avoid temptation, if we don’t pray. If we don’t continually resort to prayer, all our other ways will be of no use at all to us, and we’ll be overcome. We won’t find any sinner converted without turning to prayer. We won’t find one persevering without depending heavily on prayer. Nor will we ever find a Christian who ends up damned whose downfall didn’t begin with a lack of prayer. We can see, too, how much the Devil fears those who pray, since there’s not a moment of the day when he tempts us more than when we’re at prayer. He does everything he possibly can to prevent us from praying. When the Devil wants to make someone lose his soul, he starts out by inspiring in him a profound distaste for prayer. However good a Christian he may be, if the Devil succeeds in making him either say his prayers badly or neglect them altogether, he’s certain to have that person for himself. Yes, my dear brothers and sisters, from the moment that we neglect to pray, we move with big steps towards hell. We’ll never return to God if we don’t resort to prayer.

ST. JOHN VIANNEY

10 habits of mentally strong people[5]

Despite West Point Military Academy’s rigorous selection process, one in five students drop out by graduation day. A sizeable number leave the summer before freshman year, when cadets go through a rigorous program called “Beast.” Beast consists of extreme physical, mental, and social challenges that are designed to test candidates’ perseverance. University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth conducted a study in which she sought to determine which cadets would make it through the Beast program. The rigorous interviews and testing that cadets went through to get into West Point in the first place told Angela that IQ and talent weren’t the deciding factors. So, Angela developed her own test to determine which cadets had the mental strength to conquer the Beast. She called it the “Grit Scale,” and it was a highly accurate predictor of cadet success. The Grit Scale measures mental strength, which is that unique combination of passion, tenacity, and stamina that enables you to stick with your goals until they become a reality. To increase your mental strength, you simply need to change your outlook. When hard times hit, people with mental strength suffer just as much as everyone else. The difference is that they understand that life’s challenging moments offer valuable lessons. In the end, it’s these tough lessons that build the strength you need to succeed. Developing mental strength is all about habitually doing the things that no one else is willing to do. If you aren’t doing the following things on a regular basis, you should be, for these are the habits that mentally strong people rely on.

You must fight when you already feel defeated. A reporter once asked Muhammad Ali how many sit-ups he does every day. He responded, “I don’t count my sit-ups, I only start counting when it starts hurting, when I feel pain, cause that’s when it really matters.” The same applies to success in the workplace. You always have two choices when things begin to get tough: you can either overcome an obstacle and grow in the process or let it beat you. Humans are creatures of habit. If you quit when things get tough, it gets that much easier to quit the next time. On the other hand, if you force yourself to push through a challenge, the strength begins to grow in you.
You must delay gratification. There was a famous Stanford experiment in which an administrator left a child in a room with a marshmallow for 15 minutes. Before leaving, the experimenter told the child that she was welcome to eat it, but if she waited until he returned without eating it, she would get a second marshmallow. The children that were able to wait until the experimenter returned experienced better outcomes in life, including higher SAT scores, greater career success, and even lower body mass indexes. The point is that delay of gratification and patience are essential to success. People with mental strength know that results only materialize when you put in the time and forego instant gratification.
You must make mistakes, look like an idiot, and try again — without even flinching. In a recent study at the College of William and Mary, researchers interviewed over 800 entrepreneurs and found that the most successful among them tend to have two critical things in common: they’re terrible at imagining failure and they tend not to care what other people think of them. In other words, the most successful entrepreneurs put no time or energy into stressing about their failures as they see failure as a small and necessary step in the process of reaching their goals.
You must keep your emotions in check.

Negative emotions challenge your mental strength every step of the way. While it’s impossible not to feel your emotions, it’s completely under your power to manage them effectively and to keep yourself in control of them. When you let your emotions overtake your ability to think clearly, it’s easy to lose your resolve. A bad mood can make you lash out or stray from your chosen direction just as easily as a good mood can make you overconfident and impulsive.
You must make the calls you’re afraid to make. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do because we know they’re for the best in the long-run: fire someone, cold-call a stranger, pull an all-nighter to get the company server backup, or scrap a project and start over. It’s easy to let the looming challenge paralyze you, but the most successful people know that in these moments, the best thing they can do is to get started right away. Every moment spent dreading the task subtracts time and energy from actually getting it done. People that learn to habitually make the tough calls stand out like flamingos in a flock of seagulls.
You must trust your gut. There’s a fine line between trusting your gut and being impulsive. Trusting your gut is a matter of looking at decisions from every possible angle, and when the facts don’t present a clear alternative, you believe in your ability to make the right decision; you go with what looks and feels right.
You must lead when no one else follows. It’s easy to set a direction and to believe in yourself when you have support, but the true test of strength is how well you maintain your resolve when nobody else believes in what you’re doing. People with mental strength believe in themselves no matter what, and they stay the course until they win people over to their ways of thinking.
You must focus on the details even when it makes your mind numb. Nothing tests your mental strength like mind-numbing details, especially when you’re tired. The more people with mental strength are challenged, the more they dig in and welcome that challenge, and numbers and details are no exception to this.
You must be kind to people who are rude to you. When people treat you poorly, it’s tempting to stoop to their level and return the favor. People with mental strength don’t allow others to walk all over them, but that doesn’t mean they’re rude to them, either. Instead, they treat rude and cruel people with the same kindness they extend to everyone else, because they don’t allow another person’s negativity to bring them down.
You must be accountable for your actions, no matter what. People are far more likely to remember how you dealt with a problem than they are to recall how you created it in the first place. By holding yourself accountable, even when making excuses is an option, you show that you care about results more than your image or ego.

Copilot’s Take

Confronting evil begins with reclaiming what God has already restored. Just as Israel was commanded to take possession of the land that was theirs by promise, Christ commands us to take possession of our souls—souls He has already redeemed at the price of His wounds. Evil’s first tactic is always fear: fear of prayer, fear of repentance, fear of responsibility, fear of holiness. But Scripture cuts through that fog with a single command: Do not fear or be dismayed.

The man who keeps prayer alive, who remembers the Four Last Things, who returns again and again to the mercy flowing from Christ’s wounds, becomes interiorly unassailable. He may fall, but he rises. He may be tempted, but he refuses to surrender. He may be weak, but he clings to the One who is strong.

This is the quiet heroism the saints understood: holiness is not brilliance or talent but perseverance—grit in the service of grace. The devil fears the soul that prays because prayer anchors a man in reality, restores clarity, and keeps him from drifting into the slow erosion that leads to ruin. And when a man begins to live for the salvation of souls—his own and others—he steps into the very mission for which Christ shed His blood. In that mission, every act of fidelity becomes a blow against darkness, every confession a reclaiming of territory, every prayer a declaration that the land has already been given and the victory already won.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

EPISTLE. Isaias Iviii. 9-14.

THUS, saith the Lord God: If thou wilt take away the chain out of the midst of thee, and cease to stretch out the finger, and to speak that which is good for nothing. When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and shalt satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise up in darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noonday. And the Lord will give thee rest continually, and will fill thy soul with brightness, and deliver thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail. And the places that have been desolate for ages shall be built in thee: thou shalt raise up the foundations of generation and generation: and thou shalt be called the repairer of the fences, turning the paths into rest. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy own will in My holy day, and call the Sabbath delightful, and the holy of the Lord glorious, and glorify Him, while thou dost not thy own ways, and thy own will is not found, to speak a word : then shalt thou be delighted in the Lord, and I will lift thee up above the high places of the earth, and will feed thee with the inheritance of Jacob thy father. For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

GOSPEL. Mark vi. 47-56.

At that time: When it was late, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and Jesus alone on the land. And seeing them laboring in rowing (for the wind was against them), and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh to them walking upon the sea, and He would have passed by them. But they seeing Him walking upon the sea, thought it was an apparition, and they cried out. For they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He spoke with them, and said to them: Have a good heart, it is I, fear ye not. And He went up to them into the ship, and the wind ceased: and they were far more astonished within themselves: for they understood not concerning the loaves; for their heart was blinded. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Genesareth, and set to the shore. And when they were gone out of the ship, immediately they knew Him: and running through that whole country, they began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard He was. And whithersoever He entered, into towns or into villages or cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought Him that they might touch but the hem of His garment: and as many as touched Him were made whole.

Prayer.

May Thy faithful, O Lord, be confirmed by Thy gifts, that, receiving them, they may seek them, and seeking may receive them forever. Through Christ,

Doing Small Things Well[6]

First, while it is true that fasting is not the most important thing in the world, this does not make fasting irrelevant or unimportant. There are, certainly, more urgent things to abstain from than food or drink, such as maliciousness, backbiting, grumbling, etc. But a person is mistaken to conclude that he therefore does not need to fast. He should not believe that he can ignore fasting and instead abstain in more important matters. Rather, fasting and avoiding those other vices go hand in hand. Fasting must accompany efforts to abstain in greater matters. For one thing, fasting teaches a person how to abstain in the first place.

Moreover, it is presumptuous for a person to try to practice the greater virtues without first paying attention to the smaller ones. As Our Lord says, "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much"¹ and so can be trusted with greater things. Therefore, if a person wants to be able to abstain in greater matters he must not neglect to abstain in smaller matters, such as through fasting.

Finally, there is a subtle form of pride present in the person who says that because something is not very important, he does not need to do it. Whoever makes such a claim implies that he does only important things. But the average person is rarely called to do very important things. Accordingly, each person is more likely to be judged on how he did the little, everyday things. Even when, rarely, a person is called to do a great work, how often does he fall short? All the more reason, then, for a person to make sure that he at least does the small things well. Furthermore, if he truly loves the Lord, he will gladly do anything—big or small—for him. So, in the end, saying that fasting is not the most important thing is not a good excuse for avoiding it.

What, then, is the reason for fasting?

To answer this let us first clarify what fasting entails. It involves more than the occasional fast, such as on Good Friday. To be effective, fasting requires disciplined eating habits all the time. There are certainly days when a person should make a greater effort at abstaining from food and drink. These are what we usually consider days of fasting and they must be practiced regularly. But, still, there are never days when a person is allowed to abandon all restraint. A person must always practice some restraint over his appetites, or those periodic days of fasting are valueless. Always keeping a check on his desires, a person develops good habits, which foster constancy in his interior life. So, in addition to practicing days of fasting on a regular basis, a person should continuously restrain his desires, such as those that incline him to eat too much, to be too concerned with what he eats, or to eat too often.

We might, then speak of the discipline of fasting in order to avoid the impression that fasting is sporadic. The operative principle behind the discipline of fasting is simple: to limit yourself to only what is necessary for your physical and psychological health—no more, no less. St. Augustine puts it concisely when he teaches: "As far as your health allows, keep your bodily appetites in check by fasting and abstinence from food and drink." So, fasting is meant only to keep a person's unnecessary wants in check. A person is not— nor is he permitted—to deny himself what is necessary for his health. The discipline of fasting instead asks a person to check his desires for what is superfluous and not necessary.

Bible in a Year Day 234 Jeremiah Complains

Fr. Mike teaches us about recognizing our limitations especially when trying to compete with God. We also see how the Lord listens to Jeremiah’s complaints and responds to him in a peculiar but hopeful way. Today’s readings are Jeremiah 12-13, Ezekiel 41-42, and Proverbs 15:9-12.

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: For the intercession of the angels and saints

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

· Rosary

[1] Paone, Anthony J., S.J. My Daily Bread, Confraternity of the Precious Blood.

[2] http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=31

[3]http://www.catholictradition.org/Christ/holy-wounds2.htm

[4] Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare. TAN Books.

[5]https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/10-habits-of-mentally-strong-people

[6]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=2721

🎞️ The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)

Starring: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner, Hildegard Knef
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Adventure / Romance / Moral Drama

⭐ Plot Summary

Wounded and stranded on safari at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, writer Harry Street (Gregory Peck) drifts between fevered dreams and painful clarity as he confronts the truth of his life. Surrounded by the African wilderness and believing death is near, Harry revisits the loves, ambitions, and failures that shaped him—especially his passionate, haunting relationship with Cynthia (Ava Gardner), the woman whose loss he never recovered from.

Beside him is Helen (Susan Hayward), steadfast and self‑sacrificing, whose devotion forces Harry to face the difference between the life he lived and the life he could have lived. Through sweeping flashbacks—Paris, Spain, Africa—the film becomes a meditation on wasted talent, the ache of regret, and the possibility of redemption before the final hour.

It’s a lush, emotionally searching mid‑century drama—romantic, reflective, and morally resonant.

🎭 Cast Highlights

Actor	Role	Notes
Gregory Peck	Harry Street	Brooding, introspective, and quietly tormented; a man wrestling with his own legacy.
Susan Hayward	Helen	Loyal, grounded, and courageous; the film’s moral center.
Ava Gardner	Cynthia	Magnetic, impulsive, and unforgettable; the embodiment of lost love.
Hildegard Knef	Countess Liz	Elegant and enigmatic; adds texture to Harry’s emotional journey.