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Rachel’s Corner Try “Pastitsio”
· Bucket List Trip: Banff National Park
· Spirit hour: Dino Special
o Start your day by learning the meaning of your name. Delve into the history and significance behind your name to gain a deeper understanding of your identity and roots. This can be a fun and enlightening exercise that doesn’t require any resources other than an internet connection.
o Next, celebrate Reel Film Day by hosting a movie marathon with friends or family. Choose a theme or genre, grab some popcorn, and enjoy a day filled with cinematic delights. You can easily find classic films or new releases to stream online or rent at a minimal cost.
o For a quirky twist, embrace National Cheese Doodle Day by indulging in this cheesy snack while watching the films. Make it a taste test challenge by trying different flavors or brands of cheese doodles and voting on your favorites.
o During the day, take a moment to reflect on International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness. Consider ways in which you can promote peace and understanding in your community, whether through volunteering, raising awareness, or simply engaging in meaningful conversations with others.
o As the day winds down, commemorate Stop Bad Service Day by treating yourself to some self-care. Whether it’s a relaxing bath, a homemade spa treatment, or simply taking time to unwind with a good book, prioritize your well-being and pamper yourself.
o End your day on a meaningful note by learning about Dissociative Identity Disorder Awareness Day. Take the time to educate yourself about this important topic, show support for those affected by the disorder, and advocate for mental health awareness in your circles.
o Through this day filled with diverse activities and reflections, you can celebrate a range of weird national holidays in a unique and memorable way. Embrace the opportunity to learn, connect, and indulge in simple pleasures, all while honoring the spirit of each holiday in your own distinctive way.
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.
According to Mary Agreda[3] in her visions it was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the approach of night that the Angel Gabriel approached and announced her as Mother of God and she gave her fiat.
Best Places to Visit in March
In Salt Lake City, you can expect the last of the snow to be falling in March. The Utah city is surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains, which house dozens of ski resorts. So, if you visit in March, you can still head out to enjoy the slopes and some adrenaline-inducing activities. At this time, the climate in the city center is much milder, though, which is ideal for city sightseeing. Some of the best things to do in Salt Lake City involve sightseeing outdoors, so March is a great time to get the best of both worlds.
Today’s Menu is from UTAH
MARCH 5 Thursday in the Second Week of Lent
Jeremiah,
Chapter 17, Verse 7-8
Blessed
are those who trust in the LORD; the LORD will be their trust. They are like a
tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It
does not FEAR heat when it comes, its
leaves stay green; In the year of drought, it shows no distress, but still
produces fruit.
I live in Arizona where hardly anything grows in the
desert. However, along a stream or a creek, trees do put their roots into the
bed of the water and create a mini paradise with flowers, deer and even
provides sustenance even during the hottest days. Likewise, we should sink our
roots into our Lord through our church and receive refreshment through frequent
reception of the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist, along with
spiritual reading and time alone with our Lord. In this way we are nourished and
prepared for the work our Lord has given us.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Mt. 5:3)
Though thus says
the Lord for those who neither hope nor know Him and does not fear God: “Cursed
is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose
heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a barren bush in the wasteland that
enjoys no change of season, but stands in lava beds in the wilderness, a land,
salty and uninhabited.” (Jer. 17:5-6)
Preparing for Battle[1] Know Your Armor
Prayer and fasting,
worship and adoration, Scripture and sacraments and sacramentals all provide
the weapons of our spiritual warfare. With them we go on the offensive against
the Evil One. But the virtues provide our defensive armor. St. Paul sums it up:
“Put on, therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of mercy,
kindness, humility, meekness, patience. Bear with one another, if anyone has a
grievance against any other; even as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. But above all these things
have charity, which is the bond of perfection” (Col 3: 12– 14). Only with such
armor will we be fully covered and protected from the Evil One’s attacks.
· The Shield of Faith. St. Paul reminds us that faith must be firmly grasped and held up as a barrier between ourselves and the Enemy.
·
The Helmet of Hope. It is essential for protecting
the mind. If we have no hope of winning why fight? We must never take off the helmet of hope or we will be overcome
before we start.
·
The Breastplate of Love. The breastplate protects our
heart-keeping it for God alone. Love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind;
and be rightly related to others is to love them as we love ourselves (see Mt
22: 36– 40).
·
Cincture of Truth. Being truthful with God, yourself,
and others is a spiritual form of ballistic groin protection. Nothing can hurt
like the truth. We must not let the
intimate parts of our inner selves be led astray by blinding passion, and the
Devil’s enticement. We must seek the
truth and live the truth. We must not
seek to gratify the desires of the flesh, but instead we must “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” imitating the virtues
displayed in His character.
·
Feet shod in Peace. Wherever we go, we must be prepared to bring the good news
of salvation, of peace with God, to all we may encounter. The Devil will try to
turn us back. He’ll scatter across our path, like so many rocks and thorns, a
wagonload of doubts, accusations of our inadequacy, and fear of conflict and rejection. But if we’ve put on the “boots” of
readiness— if we’ve prepared ourselves, through faithful study and prayer, to
share the gospel— then we’ll walk safely over these obstacles, crushing them as
we go.
· The Mantle of Humility. Humility is the essential virtue that provides the soil in which all the other virtues grow. Humility keeps us from dangerous “high places” where the Enemy could tempt us to pride and vainglory.
Copilot’s Take
Trust in the Lord is the difference between a soul that burns out in the heat and a soul that stays green in a world of drought. Like a desert tree whose roots reach a hidden stream, the one who draws life from Confession, the Eucharist, prayer, silence, and steady spiritual reading remains nourished even when everything around him feels barren. Jeremiah contrasts this with the barren bush—the life built on self‑reliance and the illusion of control—which stands in salty, uninhabited ground because it has cut itself off from the only water that can sustain it. Lent makes the choice stark: the sacraments and disciplines of prayer are our weapons, and the virtues are our armor—faith to shield us, hope to steady us, love to guard the heart, truth to protect the inner life, peace to guide our steps, and humility to keep us low enough to drink from the stream.
With these, even the desert becomes a place of fruitfulness. Without them, the heat wins.
Thursday in the Second Week of Lent
Prayer.
GRANT
us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the help of Thy grace, that we, dutifully engaged
in fasting and prayer, may be freed from all enemies of body and soul.
EPISTLE. Jer. xvii. 5-10.
Thus,
saith the Lord God: Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh
his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like tamaric
in the desert, and he shall not see when good shall come but he shall dwell in
dryness in the desert in a salt land, and not inhabited. Blessed be the man
that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence. And he shall
be as a tree that is planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots
towards moisture: and it shall not fear when the heat corneth. And the leaf
thereof shall be green, and in the time of drought it shall not be solicitous,
neither shall it cease at any time to bring forth fruit. The heart is perverse
above all things, and unsearchable, who can know it? I am the Lord that search
the heart and prove the reins: Who give to everyone according to his way, and
accord ing to the fruit of his devices, saith the Lord Almighty.
GOSPEL. Luke xvi. 19-31.
At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen: and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man s table, and no one did give him: moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham s bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom: and he cried, and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his linger in water, to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now lie is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is fixed a great chaos: so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, nor from thence come hither. And he said: Then, father, I beseech thee that thou wouldst send him to my father s house; for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments.
And Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. But he said: No, Father Abraham, but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance. And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe if one rise again from the dead.
Bible in a
year Day 246 Rejoice
in Doing Good
In today's reading from Jeremiah, Fr. Mike points out how God rejoices in
doing us good, and wants to pour out his grace and mercy upon us. As we begin
reading from Judith, he explains that, while it might not be historically
accurate, the story is there to convey truth. The readings are Jeremiah 32,
Judith 1-2, and Proverbs 16:25-28.
The Navy Construction
Battalion – better known as the Seabees – is responsible for building much of
the temporary and permanent infrastructure at U.S. military locations around
the world.
With roots dating back
to World War II, the Seabees were formally established on March 5, 1942, to
meet the Navy’s growing need to build bases, camps and other structures as part
of the war effort. In the over seven decades since its founding, Seabees have
gone on to serve in most major U.S. conflicts.
Here are nine things to
know about the Seabees’ monumental history:
1. The Seabee Motto is
“Construimus, Batuimus.”
The Latin phrase, which
means “We build, We fight,” was the brainchild of Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, who is
considered the father of the Seabees.
2. The Nickname
“Seabee” Comes From the First Letters of the Words That Make Up the Unit’s
Formal Name, “Construction Battalion.”
When said together as
one word, the letters “C” and “B” sound like the word “Seabee,” hence the
battalion’s iconic nickname.
3. True to Their Motto,
Seabees Can Build Just About Anything, Anywhere.
“The men and women of
the Seabees have been deployed globally in every theater around the world
constructing bases, building airfields, conducting underwater construction and
building roads, bridges and other support facilities while providing protection
for themselves and those around them,” wrote Navy Petty Officer 1st Class
Heather Salzman in a 2020 DVIDShub.net story.
4. The Seabees Have One Medal of Honor Recipient, Marvin G. Shields.
During the Vietnam War
in 1965, Navy Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Marvin G. Shields, then just 25
years old, showed great heroism when a camp he and his fellow Seabees were
constructing suddenly came under attack. Despite being wounded several times, Shields
continually ignored his own injuries to defend the area and stay in the fight
for roughly 14 hours. His actions helped save 15 Seabees and Green Berets who
were at the camp. Ultimately, Shields’ injuries proved fatal, and he died
before the survivors were rescued. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of
Honor in 1965, which his wife and young daughter accepted on his behalf.
5. Seabees Used to
Celebrate the Battalion’s Birthday With a “Seabee Ball” That Featured a “Seabee
Queen.”
The tradition started
in 1943 at Port Hueneme, California, and featured Susan Hayward, who co-starred
alongside John Wayne in the film “The Fighting Seabees,” as the first queen. As
time went on and the tradition expanded to other areas where Seabees were
stationed, Seabee Queens grew to include other famous faces or relatives of the
Seabees themselves. This tradition was discontinued in 1992.
6. Seabee Units Were
Some of the First Fully Integrated Units in the Navy at the end of WWII.
During World War II,
Seabees erect a steel tank constructed deep in the jungles of one of the South
Pacific bases.
During WWII, over
12,500 Black service members enlisted in Seabee battalions – notably the 34th,
20th (Special) and 80th. Many of these units deployed all around the world. As
they fought for our nation, these pioneering Black sailors also fought against
racial prejudices and paved the path toward a fully integrated U.S. military.
7. Seabees Helped Build
Some of the First Structures at the South Pole.
After WWII, Seabees
first traveled to Antarctica in 1946 to help the Navy establish a research base
on the continent.
As part of Deep Freeze
73, Seabees deployed to Antarctica to construct a six-story high dome at South
Pole Station. The dome covered and protected most of the buildings at South
Pole Station.
Over the next several decades, Seabees continued to deploy to the harsh frozen environment to build the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, which features the iconic South Pole dome. This remote research area is extremely isolated and is located 1,000 miles away from the continent’s larger McMurdo Station.
8. There is a Seabees
Memorial.
Located just outside of
Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the Seabees Memorial was dedicated in
1972 and was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, a Seabee veteran himself. De Weldon
also sculpted the United States Marine Corps Memorial, which is also located in
Arlington, Virginia.
9. You Can Spot Seabees
by Looking Closely at Their Uniforms.
Seabees sport a unique sewn-in logo, or patch, on their left chest pocket. The embroidered patch features the battalion’s official “Fighting Bee” logo along with the word “Seabees.”
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: True
Masculinity
·
Religion in the Home for
Preschool: March
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
[1]Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare. TAN
Books.
[2]https://www.uso.org/stories/3009-what-is-a-seabee-9-things-to-know-about-the-navy-s-construction-battalion
[3] Venerable Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God: Complete Edition Containing all Four Volumes with Illustrations (p. 770). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition
The Fighting Seabees (1944) — War / Origin Story
Director: Edward Ludwig
Starring: John Wayne (Wedge Donovan), Susan Hayward (Constance Chesley), Dennis O’Keefe (Lt. Cmdr. Robert Yarrow)
Studio: Republic Pictures
Release: January 27, 1944
Runtime: 100 minutes
Source Material: Fictionalized account of the creation of the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions (Seabees)
Plot Summary
Civilian construction boss Wedge Donovan leads crews building airstrips in the Pacific, but they are forbidden to defend themselves during Japanese attacks. After a deadly assault kills several of his men, Donovan pushes the Navy to create a new kind of unit—builders who can also fight.
The Navy forms the Construction Battalions. Donovan and his men enlist, train, and deploy as the newly minted Seabees. As the war intensifies, they must defend the very ground they built. In the climactic battle, Donovan sacrifices himself by driving an explosive‑rigged bulldozer into enemy fuel tanks, stopping an assault and saving the battalion.
The film dramatizes the birth of the Seabees as a people who build under fire, defend what they build, and give everything for the mission.
Cast Highlights
John Wayne — Wedge Donovan, the hard‑driving builder whose zeal and flaws shape the battalion’s creation
Susan Hayward — Constance Chesley, the correspondent who witnesses the Seabees’ transformation
Dennis O’Keefe — Lt. Cmdr. Robert Yarrow, the officer who understands the strategic need for a builder‑fighter force
William Frawley — Eddie Powers, representing the grit and humor of the construction crews
Themes & Moral Resonance
1. Inheritance of Mission
The Seabees inherit a battlefield they did not choose. Their task is not merely to survive but to build what others depend on.
This raises the spiritual question:
- What mission has God entrusted to you that must be built under fire?
2. Truth vs. Illusion
Donovan’s frustration exposes a deeper truth: good men cannot remain passive in the face of evil.
The illusion is that “someone else” will protect the vulnerable.
The truth is that vocation demands responsibility.
3. Courage in the Face of Chaos
The Seabees’ courage is not bravado but perseverance:
- build the runway
- hold the line
- finish the mission
This mirrors the Christian call to construct the good even when darkness presses in.
Catholic Lessons on Confronting Evil
1. Evil exploits the undefended; holiness fortifies.
The unarmed workers symbolize souls left vulnerable.
The formation of the Seabees mirrors the Church’s task:
train, guard, and strengthen the faithful.
2. Evil thrives in disorder; holiness restores mission.
The chaos of the early attacks reveals the enemy’s strategy:
confuse, scatter, demoralize.
The Seabees respond with order, discipline, and purpose.
3. Evil manipulates fear; holiness acts with clarity.
The enemy attacks at night, from shadows, through intimidation.
The Seabees respond by stepping forward, not retreating.
This is the Christian pattern:
courage is clarity in motion.
4. Evil seeks destruction; holiness builds and defends.
The Seabees’ motto—We build, we fight—is a spiritual truth:
you defend what you love, and you love what you build.
5. Evil is broken by sacrifice; holiness gives itself away.
Donovan’s final act is a parable of Christlike self‑gift:
victory comes through offering, not rage.
Hospitality Pairing
Menu
- Beef Stew — rugged, sustaining, wartime fare
- Hard Bread — the simple food of men who work before dawn
- Strong Black Coffee — the drink of builders and fighters
Atmosphere
- Dim room with one bright lamp—clarity cutting through danger
- A carpenter’s square, steel bolt, or small American flag on the table—symbols of the builder‑fighter identity
Closing Reflection
The Fighting Seabees shows that evil is not defeated by panic or bravado but by ordered courage, rightful authority, and sacrificial love.
The Seabees become a parable:
Stand your ground.
Build what is needed.
Defend what is good.
Give yourself so others may live.
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