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Give thanks to the LORD, who is good,
whose love endures forever;
(1 Chronicles 16:35)
· Saturday Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
· Bucket List trip: Iguazú Falls, Argentina
· Spirit Hour: Paloma
· Try “Tex-Mex Migas”
· How to celebrate Mar 7th
o Wake up early and start your day by having a delicious bowl of cereal. Get creative with your toppings and flavors to really make it special. Embrace the spirit of National Cereal Day and enjoy a nostalgic breakfast from your childhood.
o After breakfast, take some time to appreciate the hard work of those around you. Whether it’s with a heartfelt thank you note or a small gesture of appreciation, let your coworkers know that you value their efforts. National Employee Appreciation Day is the perfect excuse to spread some positivity in the workplace.
o For lunch, why not indulge in some fluffy flapjacks? Whether you prefer them sweet or savory, take some time to savor this delightful treat on National Flapjack Day. Get creative with your toppings and enjoy a delicious midday meal.
o In the afternoon, channel your inner inventor and celebrate Alexander Graham Bell Day by experimenting with some DIY projects. Whether it’s building a simple gadget or trying your hand at a new hobby, embrace your creativity and see what you can come up with.
o As evening approaches, take some time to honor the power of plants on Plant Power Day. Consider cooking a plant-based meal or simply spending some time surrounded by nature. Embrace the beauty and importance of plants in our daily lives.
o To cap off your day, consider participating in a speech or debate activity in honor of National Speech and Debate Education Day. Whether you join a formal event or simply engage in a friendly debate with friends or family, take the opportunity to exercise your communication skills and share your thoughts and opinions.
o Throughout the day, don’t forget to wear a touch of blue in celebration of National Dress in Blue Day. Whether it’s a blue accessory or a full blue outfit, show your support for the cause and add a pop of color to your day. Move over Bill Clinton.
o And finally, treat yourself to a delicious fish fry dinner in honor of Friday Fish Fry Day. Whether you fry up some fish at home or head out to your favorite seafood restaurant, indulge in this tasty tradition and savor the flavors of the sea.
o By embracing the themes of these weird national holidays, you can create a fun and memorable day filled with delicious food, meaningful gestures, and creative activities. Enjoy celebrating each unique holiday and have a blast exploring the various ways to make the most of this eclectic combination of festivities!
The Conqueror’s Pilgrimage🌵 March 8–15, 2026
The Judean Desert — The School of Purification
Theme: Silence, Fasting, Identity, and the Battle for the Heart
Every great man of God is forged in the desert.
Moses. Elijah. John the Baptist.
And Christ Himself.
The desert is where distractions die, clarity rises, and the soul learns to hear God without interference.
This week is about purification, identity, and spiritual warfare — the final interior formation before mission.
Here is the full, clean, embedded‑link version in the same style as your previous weeks.
🏨 Where We Stay
Desert Guest House at Ein Gedi (Simple, cheap, safe, and right on the edge of the wilderness)
Website: https://www.ein-gedi.co.il/en/
Affordable rooms
Walking distance to the desert trails
Quiet, safe, and ideal for silence
Close to the Dead Sea, Masada, and the Judean wilderness
This is the perfect base for a week of purification.
✝️ Where We Attend Mass
There is no daily Mass in the desert itself, so we anchor the week with:
St. Catherine’s Church, Bethlehem
Search: St. Catherine Bethlehem Mass times
(bing.com in Bing)
https://www.bing.com/search?q=St.+Catherine+Bethlehem+Mass+times (bing.com in Bing)
Mass is attended at the beginning and end of the week, with the desert days dedicated to prayer, Scripture, and silence — just as Christ practiced.
🗓️ Daily Itinerary & Symbolic Acts
March 8 – Arrival at Ein Gedi
🌿 Symbolic Act: “Entering the Wilderness”
Arrive at Ein Gedi Guest House.
Walk to the edge of the desert and let the silence settle.
Pray:
“Speak, Lord. Strip away what is not You.”
Mass: St. Catherine’s (Bethlehem) before departure
Stay: Ein Gedi Guest House
March 9 – Wadi Qelt & the Monastery of St. George
⛰️ Symbolic Act: “Into the Silence”
Hike Wadi Qelt, the ancient road between Jerusalem and Jericho.
Visit the cliff‑side Monastery of St. George
Search: St. George Monastery Wadi Qelt
https://www.bing.com/search?q=St.+George+Monastery+Wadi+Qelt (bing.com in Bing)
Pray Psalm 23 in the valley of the shadow of death.
Stay: Ein Gedi Guest House
March 10 – Masada Sunrise
🌅 Symbolic Act: “Strength in the Face of Trial”
Climb Masada before dawn.
Watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea.
Reflect on courage, endurance, and the cost of freedom.
Stay: Ein Gedi Guest House
March 11 – Desert Day of Silence
🕊️ Symbolic Act: “Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone”
Keep a full day of silence.
Read Matthew 4:1–11 slowly.
Journal on identity, temptation, and spiritual warfare.
Stay: Ein Gedi Guest House
March 12 – Qumran & the Essenes
📜 Symbolic Act: “Purify My Heart”
Visit Qumran, home of the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Search: Qumran National Park
https://www.bing.com/search?q=Qumran+National+Park (bing.com in Bing)
Reflect on purity, discipline, and the hunger for holiness.
Stay: Ein Gedi Guest House
March 13 – Dead Sea & Renewal
💧 Symbolic Act: “Let the Old Self Sink”
Float in the Dead Sea — a symbol of death and burial.
Pray for the grace to let old habits die.
Evening Scripture meditation on Romans 6.
Stay: Ein Gedi Guest House
March 14 – Return to Bethlehem
🌟 Symbolic Act: “Reborn in the House of Bread”
Return to Bethlehem.
Pray in the Grotto of the Nativity.
Offer your purified heart to Christ.
Mass: St. Catherine’s Church
Stay: Ein Gedi Guest House (or Bethlehem if preferred)
March 15 – Departure & Sending Forth
🔥 Symbolic Act: “Leave the Desert in Power”
Final morning prayer:
“Lord, make me faithful in the battle.”
Depart strengthened, purified, and ready for mission.
Mass: St. Catherine’s (if timing allows)
Stay: Checkout
💶 Cost Snapshot (Per Person)
Lodging (7 nights): $350–$500
Meals: $140–$210
Transport: $120–$180
Entrance Fees: $20–$40
Total: $610–$930
march 7 Saturday in the Second Week of Lent
First Saturday-Saints Felicity and
Perpetua
Deuteronomy, Chapter
6, Verse 24-25
The
LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes in FEAR of the LORD, our God, that we may always have as good a life
as we have today. This is our justice before the LORD, our
God: to observe carefully this whole commandment he has enjoined on us.”
Today reflect on Christ’s mind
given in the gospel.
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to
those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and
from the person, who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to
everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not
demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love
them.
And if you do good to those who do
good to you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners and
get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be
children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the
wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and
you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive
and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure,
packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
Copilot’s Take
Christ’s
words in Luke 6 take on a sharper edge when read beside Deuteronomy’s reminder
that obedience grows out of fear of the Lord—a posture of awe, loyalty,
and alignment that steadies a man when the world around him is shaking. In a
moment when the news is filled with corruption, violence, and institutional
failure, and when the Church herself often appears fractured or compromised,
Christ’s command to love enemies is not softness. It is the only way to
confront evil without letting evil shape you.
The
world’s instinct is escalation, retaliation, and contempt. Christ’s instinct is
mercy, generosity, and forgiveness. That contrast is not naïve; it is
strategic. Evil feeds on imitation, and the moment we mirror its methods, we
lose the mind of Christ. Loving enemies breaks the cycle of hatred. Blessing
those who curse exposes the poverty of the world’s logic. Giving without
expecting return frees us from the economy of fear. Forgiving keeps bitterness
from becoming our master.
Within
the Church’s present wounds—scandal, division, ideological factions—Christ’s
words cut through the noise. He calls us to stop judging motives, to stop
condemning persons, to be merciful as the Father is merciful, and to measure
others with the same generosity we hope to receive. Holiness, not purges, is
what heals the Body. Mercy, not suspicion, is what restores credibility.
Generosity, not fear, is what rebuilds trust.
In the
world’s turmoil—political instability, cultural fragmentation, and the
normalization of cruelty—Christ’s teaching becomes the only way to resist evil
without absorbing its poison. His commands are not isolated rules but
formation. Turning the other cheek forms courage. Blessing enemies forms
authority. Giving freely forms freedom. Forgiving forms likeness to the Father.
This is how a Christian becomes ungovernable by fear, unmanipulated by outrage,
and uncorrupted by the spirit of the age.
Saturday in the Second Week of Lent
Prayer.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Lord, a salutary
effect to our fasts, that the chastisement of the flesh which we have taken
upon us may promote the vigor of the soul. Amen
EPISTLE. Gen. xxvii. 6-40.
In
those days Rebecca said to her son Jacob: I heard thy father talking with Esau
thy brother, and saying to him: Bring me of thy hunting, and make me meats that
I may eat, and bless thee in the sight of the Lord, before I die. Now,
therefore, my son, follow my counsel: and go thy way to the flock, bring me two
kids of the best, that I may make of them meat for thy father, such as he
gladly eateth : which when thou hast brought in, and he hath eaten, he may
bless thee before he die. And he answered her: Thou knowest that Esau my
brother is a hairy man, and I am smooth. If my father shall feel me, and
perceive it, I fear lest he will think I would have mocked him, and I shall
bring upon me a curse instead of a blessing. And his mother said to him: Upon
me be this curse, my son: only hear thou my voice, and go, fetch me the things
which I Lave said. He went, and brought, and gave them to his mother. She
dressed meats, such as she knew his father liked. And she put on him very good
garments of Esau, which she had at home with her: and the little skins of the
kids she put about his hands, and covered the bare of his neck. And she gave
him the savory meat, and delivered him bread that she had baked. Which when he
had carried in, he said:
My
father?
But he answered: I hear.
Who
art thou, my son?
And Jacob said: I am Esau thy first-born: I have done as thou didst command me: arise, sit, and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said to his son:
How
couldst thou find it so quickly, my son?
He answered: It was the will of God
that what I sought came quickly in my way. And Isaac said: Come hither, that I
may feel thee, my son, and may prove whether thou be my son Esau, or not. He
came near to his father, and when he had felt him, Isaac said: The voice indeed
is the voice of Jacob: but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he knew him
not, because his hairy hands made him like to the elder. Then blessing him, he
said:
Art
thou my son Esau?
He answered: I am. Then he said:
Bring me the meats of your hunting, my son, that my soul may bless thee. And
when they were brought, and he had eaten, he offered him wine also, which after
he had drunk, he said to him: Come near me, and give me a kiss, my son. He came
near, and kissed him. And immediately as he smelled the fragrant smell of his
garments, blessing him, he said: Behold the smell of my son is as the smell of
a plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed. God give thee of the dew of
heaven, and of the fat ness of the earth, abundance of corn and wine. And let
peoples serve thee, and tribes worship thee be thou lord of thy brethren, and
let thy mother’s children bow down before thee. Cursed be he that curseth thee:
and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings. Isaac had scarcely
ended his words, when Jacob being now gone out abroad, Esau came, and brought into
his father meats made of what he had taken in hunting, saying: Arise, my
father, and eat of thy son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac
said to him: Why!
who
art thou?
He answered: I am thy first-born
son Esau. Isaac was struck with fear, and astonished exceedingly: and wondering
blessed. Beyond what can be believed, said:
Who is he then that even now brought me venison that he had taken, and I ate of all before thou earnest?
and I have blessed him, and he
shall be Esau having heard his father’s words, roared out with a great cry: and
being in a consternation, said: Bless me also, my father. And he said: Thy
brother came deceitfully and got thy blessing. But he said again: Rightly is
his name called Jacob; for he hath supplanted me lo this second time: my first
birthright he took away before, and now this second time he hath stolen away my
blessing. And again, he said to his father:
Hast
thou not reserved me also a blessing?
Isaac answered: I have appointed
him thy lord, and have made all his brethren his servants: I have established
him with corn and wine, and after this,
what
shall I do more for thee, my son?
And Esau said to him:
Hast
thou only one blessing, father?
I beseech thee bless me also. And
when he wept with a loud cry, Isaac being moved, said to him: In the fat of the
earth, and in the dew of heaven from above, shall thy blessing be.
Luke xv. 11-32.
In that time Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes, and Pharisees: A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his substance. And not many days after, the younger son gathering all together, went abroad into a far country, and there wasted his substance, living riotously. And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in that country, and he began to be in want. And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. And returning to himself, he said:
How
many hired servants in my father s house abound with bread, and I here perish
with hunger?
I will arise, and will go son: to
my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before
thee: I am not now worthy to be called thy make me as one of thy hired
servants. And rising up he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell
upon his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned
against Heaven and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. But
the father said merry : to his servants : Bring forth quickly the first robe,
and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet : and
bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make because this
my son was dead, and is come to life again : was lost, and is found. And they
began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field, and when he came out and
drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing: and he called one of the
servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said to him: Thy brother is
come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him
safe. And he was angry, and would not go in. His father therefore coming out
began to entreat him. And he answering, said to his father: Behold, for so many
years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy commandment, and yet
thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends: but as soon as
this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast
killed for him the fatted calf. But he said to him: Son, thou art always with
me, and all I have is thine. But it was fit that we should make merry and be
glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is come to life again: he was lost and
is found.
First
Saturday[1] In
December of 1925, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia, giving her the following
guaranty of salvation for those who complete the First Five Saturdays Devotion:
“I
promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for
the salvation of their souls."
Why Five Saturdays?
The five first Saturdays correspond to
the five kinds of offenses and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate
Heart of Mary:
1) Blasphemies against the Immaculate
Conception
2) Blasphemies against her virginity
3) Blasphemies against her divine
maternity, at the same time the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all men
4) Instilling indifference, scorn and
even hatred towards this Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children
5) Direct insults against Her sacred
images
How to complete the Five First Saturdays Devotion:
On the first Saturday of five consecutive
months:
1. Go to confession.
2. Receive Holy Communion.
3. Say five decades of the Rosary.
4. Keep Our Lady company for 15 minutes,
meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.
5. Have the intention of making reparation
to Our Lady for the offenses listed above.
Martyrdom of Felicity
and Perpetua[2]
Perpetua was twenty-two, well born, married and the mother of a tiny son still at her breast. Felicitas, an expectant mother, was a slave. They were among five catechumens whose arrest and imprisonment were meant as a warning to the other Christians in Carthage in the year 203. Tormented by her father who was a pagan and wanted her to apostatize, terrified by the darkness and stifling heat of the dungeon where they were imprisoned, Perpetua's greatest suffering nevertheless was for her baby who was with her.
Baptism, however, drove away her fears and with the coming of the Holy
Spirit she was at peace and the prison became to her as a palace; in visions
she learned the manner of their martyrdom and caught glimpses of what awaits
souls in the life after death. Among these was a vision of Purgatory where she
saw her little brother Dinocratus suffering.
Dinocratus had died when he was
only seven, painfully ulcerated about the face. Perpetua saw him "coming
out of a dark place where there were many others," dirtily clad, pale,
with the wound still on his face, and he was very hot and thirsty. Near him was
a fountain but its brim was higher than he could reach and, though he stood on
tiptoe, he could not drink. By this vision she knew he needed her prayers, and
she prayed for him night and day. On the day the Christians were put in stocks,
she had another vision and saw Dinocratus freed. This time he was clean and
finely clothed, on his face was a clean scar and beside him a low fountain
reaching only to his waist. On the edge of the fountain was a golden cup ever
full of water, and Dinocratus drank. "And when he had drunk, he came away
— pleased to play, as children will."
In the meantime, Felicitas was
worried for fear her baby would not
be born in time for her to die for Christ with her companions. There was a law
which forbade throwing even a Christian woman to the wild beasts if she was
with child. Three days before they were to go to the arena, they prayed God would
permit the birth of her child, and as soon as their prayers were done, her
labor began. She gave birth to a little girl who was afterward adopted by her
sister.
At last, the scene of their martyrdom and in its Perpetua and Felicity were told to put on the garments of pagan priestesses, the two refused and so were stripped naked, covered with nets, and sent to face assault by a maddened cow said to have been used in insult to their womanhood and their maternity. Strangely enough the audience — screaming for blood though it was — yet was touched by the sight of these two so young and so valiant, and the people shuddered.
Perpetua and Felicitas were called
back and clothed in loose robes. Now Perpetua was thrown, her garment rent, and
her thigh gored. Regaining her feet, she gathered her tunic over her thigh so
in suffering she would not appear immodest and looking about found her fallen
hair ornament and repinned her hair least one soon to be a martyr seem to
grieve in her glory. Looking for Felicitas, she gave assistance to her and
standing together they awaited another attack. But the mob cried,
"Enough," and the two were led off to the headsman's block. Catching
sight of her brother, Perpetua cried out: "Stand fast in the faith and
love one another; and do not let our sufferings be a stumbling block to
you." Felicitas was struck down first then Perpetua — but only after the
nervous swordsman had struck her once and failed to sever her head. The second
time she guided his sword with her own hands. So brave, and so full of love;
perhaps if she were dying now, she would exhort us to be brave and full of love
in slightly different words. Perhaps she would cry out, "Stand fast in the
faith and love one another; and do not let our color be a stumbling block to
you." Perpetua was white, and Felicitas was black.
Bible in a year
Day 248 Cut
to the Heart
Fr. Mike points out how, like King Jehoiakim, we too can dismiss God's teachings instead of letting them cut into our hearts. The readings are Jeremiah 35-36, Judith 6-7, and Proverbs 17:1-4.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Holy
Bishops and Cardinals
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
No Highway in the Sky (1951) — Aviation Thriller / Moral Conscience
Director: Henry Koster
Starring: James Stewart (Theodore Honey), Marlene Dietrich (Monica Teasdale), Glynis Johns (Marjorie Corder)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release: June 14, 1951
Runtime: 98 minutes
Source Material: Adapted from Nevil Shute’s 1948 novel No Highway
Plot Summary
Theodore Honey, a shy, eccentric, and brilliant aeronautical engineer, believes the new Reindeer airliner has a fatal structural flaw: after a specific number of flight hours, the tailplane will suffer catastrophic metal fatigue. His calculations are precise, but unproven, and the aviation board dismisses him as overly theoretical.
When Honey is sent to investigate a crash site, he travels aboard a Reindeer that is nearing the danger threshold. Realizing the aircraft is within hours of the predicted failure, he quietly panics. The crew ignores his warnings. In a moment of moral clarity, Honey sabotages the plane on the ground to prevent it from taking off again.
His actions trigger scandal, inquiry, and ridicule. But as the investigation unfolds, evidence begins to confirm his theory. Honey’s integrity, humility, and stubborn devotion to truth become the hinge on which lives are saved and reputations are remade.
The film blends suspense, character study, and moral drama, anchored by Stewart’s portrayal of a man who sees danger no one else will acknowledge.
Cast Highlights
James Stewart — Theodore Honey, the gentle, awkward engineer whose conscience outweighs his fear of humiliation
Marlene Dietrich — Monica Teasdale, the glamorous actress who recognizes Honey’s sincerity and defends him
Glynis Johns — Marjorie Corder, the compassionate stewardess who sees Honey’s goodness beneath his oddities
Jack Hawkins — Dennis Scott, the official torn between corporate pressure and emerging truth
Themes & Moral Resonance
1. Truth Against Consensus
Honey stands alone with a truth no one wants to hear.
His isolation raises the question:
What do you do when the truth is unpopular, inconvenient, or embarrassing?
2. The Burden of Knowledge
Honey’s brilliance is a cross.
He sees danger others cannot, and therefore bears responsibility others do not feel.
3. Integrity Over Image
The film contrasts Honey’s awkward humility with the polished confidence of officials who prefer convenience over safety.
Virtue is not glamorous; it is steadfast.
4. The Quiet Hero
Honey is not a warrior or a leader.
He is a man who refuses to betray his conscience, even when it costs him dignity, reputation, and freedom.
Catholic Lessons on Conscience and Courage
1. Conscience must be formed, then obeyed.
Honey’s conscience is not impulsive; it is rooted in study, discipline, and truth.
Once he knows the danger, he cannot pretend otherwise.
2. Moral courage often looks like madness.
Saints, prophets, and truth‑tellers are frequently dismissed as eccentrics.
Honey’s “oddness” becomes the vessel for salvation.
3. Humility is stronger than pride.
Honey never boasts, never demands recognition, never manipulates.
His humility becomes a shield against corruption.
4. Sacrifice precedes vindication.
Honey is humiliated before he is vindicated.
This is the Christian pattern:
the cross before the resurrection.
5. Truth is patient.
The investigation unfolds slowly, painfully.
But truth, once revealed, cannot be un‑seen.
Hospitality Pairing
Menu
- Roast Chicken with Potatoes — simple, comforting, British domestic fare reflecting Honey’s gentle home life
- Tea with Milk — the quiet ritual of steadiness in a world of turbulence
- Shortbread Biscuits — a nod to the film’s British setting and understated warmth
Atmosphere
- Soft lamplight, a model airplane or blueprint on the table—symbols of vocation and vigilance
- A quiet room, minimal noise—mirroring Honey’s contemplative mind
- A single candle—truth shining in obscurity
Closing Reflection
No Highway in the Sky is a meditation on conscience, humility, and the lonely road of truth. It reminds us that heroism is often hidden, quiet, and misunderstood. Honey’s steadfastness becomes a parable:
Hold to the truth.
Guard the vulnerable.
Accept humiliation if it protects life.
Let conscience, not comfort, guide your steps.
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