Sunday, April 5, 2026

Better to Smoke in This Life Than the Next — Easter Edition

Sun, Apr 5 – Easter Sunday

(Schoop‑Aligned Section: Early Ascent — Souls Encouraged by Angels)

Virtue: Mercy & Resurrection Cigar: Aromatic, luminous (Cameroon) Bourbon: Angel’s Envy – elegant, lifted

Reflection: “Where does mercy meet my wounds?”

Easter is the day a man discovers that resurrection is not an idea — it’s an intervention.
It’s the moment when God reaches into the place you thought was permanently sealed and says,
“Stand. You are not meant to remain where you fell.”

Mercy doesn’t erase wounds.
It transforms them.
It turns scars into testimony and broken places into doorways.

A Cameroon wrapper fits the day — warm, aromatic, luminous.
It burns like dawn breaking through the last shadows of night.
A cigar that reminds you:
Light wins. Every time.

Angel’s Envy rises on the palate the way the Alleluia rises after its long silence —
not loud, but lifted.
Not forceful, but unmistakably alive.

🔥 Purgatory Story — The Man Who Forgot He Was Allowed to Rise

(Schoop‑Aligned Section: Early Ascent — Souls Encouraged by Angels)

There was a man in Purgatory who knelt for so long he forgot why he was kneeling.

He believed humility meant staying low forever.
He believed penance meant never standing again.
He believed God wanted him bowed, not restored.

One morning, an angel approached him and asked,
“Why do you remain on the ground?”

The man answered,
“I thought this was where I belonged.”

The angel lifted him by the shoulders and said,
“Penance teaches you to kneel.
Resurrection teaches you to stand.”

The man rose —
and when he did, the entire landscape brightened,
as though heaven had been waiting for him to remember
that redemption is not complete until a man stands again.

🌄 Reflection

“Where does mercy meet my wounds?”

Easter is not the denial of wounds.
It is the healing of them.
It is the place where mercy touches the exact spot that hurt the most
and says,
“This is where we begin again.”

Claire’s Corner Try “Kotk torsk”

· Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t forget the internet.

· St. Juliana de Cornillon-born in Belgium

· Bucket Item trip: Bird Island, Seychelles

· 30 Days with St. Joseph Day 17

· National Deep Dish Pizza Day!

· Spirit hour: Italicus Spritz

· Autism Acceptance Month

· International Firewalk Day

Claire’s 70 Degree World Tour

🇮🇱 Week 14 — Jerusalem, Israel
“The Light That Sends You Forth”
April 5 – April 12, 2026 (Easter Week)
Base: Jerusalem — 68–73°F Days, Resurrection Landscapes, Quiet Mission
Retirement Budget Edition

Why Jerusalem?

Because early April in Jerusalem sits right at 68–73°F, the perfect continuation of your 70‑degree arc.
Because the Easter Octave belongs in the city where the stone rolled away.
Because after Galilee’s “stillness → revelation,” Jerusalem gives you “revelation → mission.”

🌅 Overview

Early April in Jerusalem is bright, dry, and deeply walkable. The limestone glows in the morning sun, and the evenings cool just enough for long reflective walks. Easter Week here is not chaotic — it’s surprisingly peaceful once the Triduum crowds depart.

Theme:
Joy, clarity, and the courage to step into the mission Christ entrusts to His disciples.

📅 Daily Outline (Retirement Friendly)

📌 Apr 5 — Easter Sunday (70°F, Clear Light)

Mass: Church of the Holy Sepulchre (early morning)

Visit: The Empty Tomb (post‑Mass quiet hour)
Symbolic Act: Touch the Stone of Unction — “Rise with Him.”
Fun: Easter brunch in the Christian Quarter (budget cafés)

📌 Apr 6 — Easter Monday (71°F, Sunny)

Visit: Mount of Olives (easy bus ride)
Walk: Down the Palm Sunday Road to Gethsemane
Mass: Church of All Nations
Symbolic Act: The First Commission — “Go and tell My brothers.”
Fun: Lemonade + olives from local vendors ($3–$5)

📌 Apr 7 — Easter Tuesday (72°F, Light Breeze)

Visit: Ein Karem (birthplace of John the Baptist)
Walk: Between the Visitation Church and John the Baptist Church
Mass: Church of the Visitation
Symbolic Act: Joy in Motion — “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Fun: Garden café lunch ($10–$14)

📌 Apr 8 — Easter Wednesday (70°F, Clear)

Visit: Israel Museum (Dead Sea Scrolls wing)
Walk: Outdoor sculpture garden
Mass: Notre Dame Center (evening)
Symbolic Act: The Word Confirmed — “Everything written about Me…”
Fun: Rooftop sunset view (free)

📌 Apr 9 — Easter Thursday (69°F, Calm)

Visit: Emmaus (short bus ride to Abu Ghosh)
Walk: Benedictine Abbey grounds
Mass: Emmaus Abbey
Symbolic Act: Hearts Burning — “He was made known in the breaking of the bread.”
Fun: Hummus + pita lunch ($8–$10)

📌 Apr 10 — Easter Friday (70°F, Gentle Warmth)

Visit: Western Wall + Southern Steps
Walk: Archaeological park paths
Mass: St. James Cathedral (Armenian Quarter)

Symbolic Act: Standing Where the Apostles Stood — “Peace be with you.”
Fun: Armenian coffee + pastry ($6–$8)

📌 Apr 11 — Easter Saturday (72°F, Soft Sun)

Visit: Garden of Gethsemane (quiet morning hour)
Walk: Kidron Valley path
Mass: Dominus Flevit Chapel
Symbolic Act: The Tears Before Triumph — “He wept over the city.”
Fun: Light dinner in the Jewish Quarter ($12–$15)

📌 Apr 12 — Divine Mercy Sunday (70°F, Clear)

Visit: St. Saviour’s Church (Franciscan)
Mass: Divine Mercy Sunday liturgy
Symbolic Act: The Breath of Mercy — “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Fun: Gelato + final Old City stroll

💰 Cost Snapshot (Retirement Budget)

Category	Cost
Lodging (7 nights)	$420–$560
Meals (8 days)	$240–$300
Transport (local + Emmaus)	$40–$80
Tickets/Activities	$40–$90
Transfers/Local Flights	$60–$120

➡️ Total: ~$800–$1,150
An Easter Week in Jerusalem — the city of the Resurrection — under $1,200, with 70‑degree weather and a mission‑ready heart.

APRIL 5 Easter Sunday

Charlton Heston RIP

Matthew, Chapter 28, Verse 4-5

The guards were shaken with FEAR of him and became like dead men. Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.

Have you ever been so afraid that you lost consciousness?

I must admit I have not; however once when praying intently I distinctly heard the singing of angelic voices that scared me so bad I hid and prayed it stop, which it did. Yet is it possible for this to happen.

Extreme pain, fear, or stress may bring on fainting. This type of fainting is caused by overstimulation of the vagus nerve, a nerve connected to the brain that helps control breathing and circulation. In addition, a person who stands still or erect for too long may faint. This type of fainting occurs because blood pools in the leg veins, reducing the amount that is available for the heart to pump to the brain. This type of fainting is quite common in older people or those taking drugs to treat high blood pressure.^{^[1]}

The Law of Victory^{^[2]}

Jesus raised several people from the dead, but in each case differed from His own resurrection. Those people would eventually die again. But Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again. He defeated mankind’s greatest enemy: death. All other problems are problems because they kill us. Once Jesus defeated death, His followers could operate in total security. No struggle is too big for God. No question is unanswerable. No problem is too difficult. The resurrection of Christ trumpeted good news from the graveyard! Jesus in spite of the evil influence of Satan on men practiced the Law of Victory, decisively defeating even death itself.

The Law of Victory: Leaders find a way for the team to win. ~ John C. Maxwell

Leaders make things happen. They are unwilling to accept failure as their reality and choose to do all humanly possible (and sometimes even more) to achieve victory. Not just for themselves, but for their teams. Leaders live and breathe success. Leaders are resilient. They don’t feed off of the past, but choose to move forward toward the next victory. Leaders are achievers. Leaders are winners. Leaders understand that they don’t need to win every battle to be victorious. They are patient and understand that victory sometimes takes time and often even sacrifices.^{^[3]}

Have courage He has risen, and He has sent His Mother Mary to help us in the end times. Do not be perplexed and remember Our Lady said, “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!”^{^[4]}

✝️ Copilot’s Take — CCC and Confronting Evil

Matthew 28:4–5 — “Do not be afraid.”

The Resurrection is not gentle. It arrives with an earthquake, an angel blazing like lightning, and soldiers collapsing in terror. Heaven breaks into history with such force that the powers of this world fall “like dead men.” The Catechism teaches that the Resurrection is the decisive victory of God over the powers of darkness (CCC 638–639). Evil does not negotiate with Christ; it collapses before Him.

The women, however, receive a different word. The angel does not rebuke them. He does not overwhelm them. He speaks: “Do not be afraid.” The same event that paralyzes hardened soldiers becomes, for the faithful, an invitation into courage. This is the pattern of the spiritual life: the closer we draw to Christ, the more fear is transformed rather than amplified.

The Catechism describes this transformation as the passage from servile fear—the fear of punishment—to filial fear, the awe-filled reverence of children who trust their Father (CCC 1828). Evil weaponizes fear to scatter, isolate, and silence. God uses holy fear to awaken, steady, and strengthen. The difference is not in the intensity of the experience but in the One who speaks into it.

The guards faint because they stand opposed to God’s work.
The women stand firm because they seek the Crucified One.
Fear unmakes the first; fear refines the second.

The Catechism teaches that Christ’s Resurrection “opens for humanity the way to a new life” (CCC 646). That new life begins with courage. Not bravado. Not self-confidence. Courage born from the knowledge that evil has already been defeated and that Christ now stands on the other side of death with the keys in His hand.

This is why every confrontation with evil—internal or external—begins with the same command spoken at the empty tomb:
Do not be afraid.
Not because the world is safe, but because Christ is risen, and His victory is not symbolic. It is cosmic, final, and already unfolding.

And in these times, when darkness postures loudly, the Church remembers the promise given through His Mother:
“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
The angel’s command and Mary’s prophecy are the same message spoken from two sides of the same victory.

Stand firm. Seek the Crucified. Let holy fear become courage.
The risen Christ is already ahead of you.

ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[5]

CHAPTER III

DIES ECCLESIAE

The Eucharistic Assembly:
Heart of Sunday

The Eucharistic assembly

33. At Sunday Mass, Christians relive with particular intensity the experience of the Apostles on the evening of Easter when the Risen Lord appeared to them as they were gathered together (cf. Jn 20:19). In a sense, the People of God of all times were present in that small nucleus of disciples, the first fruits of the Church. Through their testimony, every generation of believers hears the greeting of Christ, rich with the messianic gift of peace, won by his blood and offered with his Spirit: "Peace be with you!" Christ's return among them "a week later" (Jn 20:26) can be seen as a radical prefiguring of the Christian community's practice of coming together every seven days, on "the Lord's Day" or Sunday, in order to profess faith in his Resurrection and to receive the blessing which he had promised: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (Jn 20:29). This close connection between the appearance of the Risen Lord and the Eucharist is suggested in the Gospel of Luke in the story of the two disciples of Emmaus, whom Christ approached and led to understand the Scriptures and then sat with them at table. They recognized him when he "took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them" (24:30). The gestures of Jesus in this account are his gestures at the Last Supper, with the clear allusion to the "breaking of bread", as the Eucharist was called by the first generation of Christians.

Easter Sunday[6]

WHAT is the feast of Easter?

The celebration of the day on which Jesus Christ, according to the predictions both of Himself and the prophets, by His almighty power, reunited His body and soul, and arose alive from the grave.

Why is Easter Sunday sometimes called Pasch or Passover?

It is from the Latin Pascha, and the Hebrew Phase, meaning “the passing over” because the destroyer of the firstborn in Egypt passed over the houses of the Israelites who had sprinkled the transom and posts of the door with the blood of the paschal lamb and because the Jews were in that same night delivered from bondage, passing over through the Red Sea into the land of promise. Now we Christians are by the death and resurrection of Christ redeemed and passed over to the freedom of the children of God, so we call the day of His resurrection Pasch or Passover.

How should we observe the feast of Easter?

We observe the feast in such manner as to confirm our faith in Jesus Christ and in His Church, and to pass over from the death of sin to the new life of grace.

What is the meaning of Alleluia, so often repeated at Eastertime?

“Alleluia” means “Praise God.” In the Introit of the Mass of the day the Church introduces Jesus Christ as risen, addressing His heavenly Father as follows “I rose up and am still with Thee, alleluia; Thou hast laid Thy hand upon Me, alleluia. Lord, thou hast proved me, and know me; Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising up.”

Prayer.

O God, who this day didst open to us the approach to eternity by Thy only Son victorious over death, prosper by Thy grace our vows, which Thou dost anticipate by Thy inspirations.

EPISTLE, i. Cor. v. 7, 8.

Brethren: Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened. For Christ, our Pasch, is sacrificed. Therefore, let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Explanation.

The Apostle selected the leaven as a type of the moral depravity from which the Christian community and every individual Christian should be free. Let us, therefore, purge out the old leaven of sin by true penance, that we may receive our Paschal Lamb, Jesus, in the Most Holy Eucharist with a pure heart.

GOSPEL. Mark xvi. 1-7.

At that time: Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came to the sepulcher, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulcher?

And looking, they saw the stone rolled back: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished. Who saith to them: Be not affrighted: you seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified: He is risen, He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee: there you shall see Him, as He told you.

Why did the holy women desire to anoint the body of Jesus with sweet spices?

The women wanted to anoint Jesus’ body out of love for him. This love God rewarded by sending to them an angel, who rolled back the great stone from before the mouth of the sepulcher, comforted them, and convinced them that Christ was really raised from the dead. From this we learn that God always consoles those who seek Him. The angel sent the holy women to the disciples to console them for Christ’s death, and in order that they might make known His resurrection to the world. St. Peter was specially named not only because he was the head of the apostles, but because he was sadder and more dispirited than the others on account of his denial of Our Savior.

How did Our Savior prove that He was really risen from the dead?

Our Lord proved Himself risen by showing Himself first to the holy women, then to His disciples, and finally to five hundred persons at once. His disciples not only saw Him, but ate and drank with Him, not once only, but repeatedly, and for forty days.

It was through combat and inexpressible sufferings that Our Savior gained victory. So also, with us we gain heaven only by labor, combat, and sufferings shall we win the crown of eternal life; though redeemed by Christ from the servitude of Satan and sin, we shall not be able to enter the kingdom of Christ unless, after His example and by His grace, we fight till the end against the flesh, the devil, and the world; for only he that perseveres to the end shall receive the crown (n. Tim. ii. 5).

Easter Calendar[7]

Read: Easter does not just last for a day! Take time to read about the span of the Easter season today.

Reflect: Take extra time with the readings today practicing lectio divina. . . .

Pray: O God, who on this day, through your Only Begotten Son, have conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity, grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection may, through the renewal brought by your Spirit, rise up in the light of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Collect, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, Mass During the Day, Roman Missal, Third Edition, International Commission on English Liturgy)

Act: Christ is Risen! Spread the Good News!

Paschaltide[8]

This is the day the Lord hath made;
let us be glad and rejoice therein. - Ps. 117.24

With this antiphon, the Church proclaims Easter Sunday the greatest day of the year. For the Christian believer every day is, of course, a celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, as is every Mass. Yet daily rejoicing pales in comparison to that of the Sunday Mass, since Sunday is the day that the resurrection took place, the "eighth" day of the week signifying a new creation and a new life. And these Sundays of the year, in turn, are dwarfed by Easter, the Feast of Feasts celebrated in the newness of the vernal moon and in the rebirth of springtime. Easter is the Christian day par excellence.

The commemoration of our Lord's physical resurrection from the dead provides not only the crucial resolution to the Passion story, but to several liturgical themes stretching back over the past two months.

· Easter ends the seventy days of Babylonian exile begun on Septuagesima Sunday by restoring the Temple that was destroyed on Good Friday, i.e. the body of Jesus Christ.

· It ends the forty days of wandering in the desert begun on Ash Wednesday by giving us the Promised Land of eternal life.

· It ends the fourteen days of concealment and confusion during Passiontide by revealing the divinity of Jesus Christ and the meaning of His cryptic prophecies.

· It ends the seven days of Holy Week by converting our sorrow over the crucifixion into our jubilance about the resurrection.

· And it ends the three days of awesome mystery explored during the sacred Triduum by celebrating the central mystery of our faith: life born from death, ultimate good from unspeakable evil. It is for this reason that all the things that had been instituted at one point or another during the past penitential seasons (the purple vestments or the veiled images) are dramatically removed, while all the things that had been successively suppressed (the Alleluia, the Gloria in excelsis, several Gloria Patri's, or the bells) are dramatically restored.

The Easter season (or Paschaltide, as it is traditionally known) is not an undifferentiated block of joy but one that consists of several distinct stages. The first is the Easter Octave, lasting from Easter Sunday to the former "Low" Sunday which is now Divine Mercy Sunday. These eight days comprise a prolonged rejoicing in our Savior's victory over death and in the eternal life given to the newly baptized converts. In fact, Christian initiates used to receive a white robe upon their baptism on Holy Saturday night and would wear it for the rest of the week. They would take off these symbols of their new life on the following Sunday, which in Latin is called Dominica in albis depositis as a result of this practice. (The English name, Low Sunday, was used as a contrast to the high mark of Easter). For centuries the first Sunday after Easter was also the day when children would receive their first Holy Communion, often with their father and mother kneeling beside them.

So meaningful was this event that in Europe it was referred to as the "most beautiful day of life." (Significantly, both customs are encapsulated in Low Sunday's stational church, the basilica of St. Pancras (see Station Days): St. Pancras, a twelve-year-old martyr, is the patron saint of children and neophytes).

Paschaltide Customs

The Easter Kiss and Greeting.

The day that the risen Christ appeared to His apostles, breathed the Spirit on them, and wished them peace is the day that Christians greet each other with special fraternal affection. Early Latin Christians embraced each other on Easter with the greeting, Surrexit Dominus vere ("The Lord is truly risen"). The appropriate response is Deo gratias ("Thanks be to God"). Greek Christians, on the other hand, say, Christos aneste ("Christ is risen"), to which is answered, Alethos aneste ("Truly He is risen"). The mutual kiss and embrace last throughout the Easter Octave.

Blessings.

There was a time in both the Eastern and Western churches that no one would dream of eating unblessed food on Easter. Priests would either visit families on Holy Saturday night and bless the spread made ready for the following day, or they would bless the food brought to church after the Easter Sunday Mass. The old Roman ritual attests to this tradition by its title for Food Blessings: Benedictiones Esculentorum, Praesertim in Pascha - "The Blessings of Edibles, especially for Easter".

New Clothes & the Easter Parade.

Most people are familiar with the old-fashioned images of ladies bedecked in crisp new bonnets and dapper escorts during the annual Easter parade. What at first blush appears to be no more than a spectacle of vanity, however, is a combination of two deeply religious practices. The first is the custom of wearing new clothes for Easter. This stems from the ancient practice of newly baptized Christians wearing a white garment from the moment of their baptism during the Easter Vigil until the following week. The rest of the faithful eventually followed suit by wearing something new to symbolize the new life brought by the death and resurrection of Christ. Hence an old Irish saying: "For Christmas, food and drink; for Easter, new clothes."

There was even a superstition that bad luck would come to those who could afford new clothes for Easter but did not buy them. The second practice is the Easter walk, in which the faithful (mostly couples) would march through town and country as a part of a religious procession. A crucifix or the Paschal candle would often lead the way, and the entourage would make several stops in order to pray or sing hymns. The rest of the time would be spent in light banter. This custom became secularized after the Reformation and thus became the "Easter parade" so popular before the 1960s.

Easter Eggs.

Two kinds of activities (besides eating) surround this famous feature of Paschal celebration. The first is the decoration of the egg, a custom that goes back to the first centuries of Christianity. Colored dyes are the easiest way this is done, though different customs from various cultures sometimes determine which colors are used. The Chaldean, Syrian, and Greek Christians, for example, give each other scarlet eggs in honor of the most precious blood of Christ. Other nations, such as the Ukrainians and Russians, are famous for their beautiful and ornate egg decorations. Egg games are also a familiar part of Easter merriment. Most Americans are familiar with the custom of Easter egg hunts, but there are other forms as well. Egg-pecking is a game popular in Europe and the Middle East (not to mention the White House lawn), where hard-boiled eggs are rolled against each other on the lawn or down a hill; the egg left uncracked at the end is proclaimed the "victory egg."

The Dancing Sun.

There is an old legend that the sun dances for joy or makes three cheerful jumps on Easter morning. In England and Ireland families would place a pan of water in the east window to watch the dancing rays mirrored on it. Other "sun" customs involve some kind of public gathering at sunrise. Greeting the daybreak with cannons, gunfire, choirs, or band music was once very popular, as was holding a prayer service, followed by a procession to the church where Mass would be offered.

"Sacred" Theater.

According to some scholars the beautiful sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes sung during the Easter Mass in the traditional Roman rite is the inspiration for the development of medieval religious drama.

The poem's dialogic structure, with its question and answer format, became the foundation on which more lines were added until a separate play was formed. This play, in turn, inspired the composition of the other medieval "mystery" plays held on Christmas, Epiphany, Corpus Christi, and so on. Solemn vespers and benediction were a traditional part of every Sunday afternoon in many parishes, but especially so on Easter. Perhaps one reason for this was the medieval custom of Easter fables where, prior to the service, the priest would regale the congregation with amusing anecdotes and whimsical yarns. This served as a sort of antidote to the many sad or stern Lenten sermons of the previous weeks.

The Easter Octave.

The entire Octave of Easter constitutes an extended exultation in Christ's victory over death. Obviously, the two most important days of this Octave are the two Sundays. As mentioned elsewhere, Low Sunday was once the day that the neophytes took off their white robes and resumed their lives in the daily world, and it was also the traditional time for children to receive Holy Communion. Other days of the Octave, however, also had distinctive customs of their own.

· Easter Monday was reserved as a special day for rest and relaxation. Its most distinctive feature is the Emmaus walk, a leisurely constitution inspired by the Gospel of the day (Luke 24.13-35). This can take the form of a stroll through field or forest or, as in French Canada, a visit to one's grandparents.

· Games of mischief dating to pre-Christian times also take place on Easter Monday and Tuesday. Chief among them is drenching customs, where boys surprise girls with buckets of water, and vice versa, or switching customs, where switches are gently used on each other.

· Easter Thursday in Slavic countries, on the other hand, was reserved for remembering departed loved ones. Mass that day would be offered for the deceased of the parish.

· Finally, Easter Friday was a favorite day for pilgrimages in many parts of Europe. Large groups would take rather long processions to a shrine or church, where Mass would be offered.

Divine Mercy Novena[9]

Third Day - Today Bring Me All Devout and Faithful Souls.

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in the great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father turn Your Merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus, may they never fail in love or lost the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Novena for the Poor Souls[10]

O Mother most merciful, pray for the souls in Purgatory!

PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE THE GREAT O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory and for sinners everywhere— for sinners in the Universal Church, for those in my own home and for those within my family. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE DYING O Most Merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, to wash in Thy Most Precious Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony and who will die today. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the dying! Amen.

ON EVERY DAY OF THE NOVENA V. O Lord, hear my prayer; R. And let my cry come unto Thee. O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our devout supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired, Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

SUNDAY O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy divine Son Jesus shed in the Garden, deliver the souls in Purgatory, and especially that one which is the most forsaken of all, and bring it into Thy glory, where it may praise and bless Thee forever. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Charlton Heston[11] died 2008.

Heston was an actor who portrait many films of faith. Here is a list of the Iceman’s favorites:

1. The Ten Commandments (1956) The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people.

2. Ben-Hur (1959) When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

3. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) An all-star, large scale epic film that chronicles the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

4. El Cid (1961) The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors.

5. The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) The biographical story of Michelangelo's troubles while painting the Sistine Chapel at the urging of Pope Julius II.

6. Soylent Green (1973) In the world ravaged by the greenhouse effect and overpopulation, an NYPD detective investigates the murder of a big company CEO.

Bible in a year Day 277 Power in Weakness

Fr. Mike reads from Nehemiah today, we hear about how the hearts of the people of Israel were moved as Ezra reads the book of the law of Moses to them. In our reading of Esther, we have the beginning of the crisis that will unfold throughout the book as Haman, backed by the king, seeks to destroy the Jews. Today’s readings are Nehemiah 8, Esther 3 and 13, and Proverbs 21:5-8.

THIS WE BELIEVE

PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit[12]

“Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:17-20)

This passage in Matthew's Gospel helps us to understand the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are the observable behaviors of people who have allowed the grace of the Holy Spirit to be effective in them. The tradition of the Church lists 12 fruits:

charity	generosity
joy	gentleness
peace	faithfulness
patience	modesty
kindness	self-control
goodness	chastity

(adapted from CCC 1832)

Daily Devotions

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

· Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Make reparations to the Holy Face

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Universal Man Plan

[1]http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Blackout+%28loss+of+consciousness%29

[2] John Maxwell, the Maxwell Leadership Bible.

[3] http://silviapencak.com/law-of-victory/

[4] Third apparition, Fatima, July 13, 1917.

[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=419

[6] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.

[7] http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/april-21.cfm

[8]http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/Paschaltide.html

[9]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1032

[10]Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory Explained

[11]https://www.imdb.com/list/ls050860391/

[12]https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/scripture-and-tradition/catholic-basics/catholic-beliefs-and-practices/fruits-of-the-holy-spirit/

Men in Her Life (1931)

A pre‑Code drama where fallen wealth, counterfeit nobility, and unexpected virtue collide—and where a woman discovers that salvation sometimes arrives in the rough hands of a man the world calls unworthy.

Sources: imdb.com

🎬 Production Snapshot

Studio: Columbia Pictures
Director: William Beaudine
Release: 1931
Screenplay: Dorothy Howell (adaptation), based on Men in Her Life by Warner Fabian
Stars: Lois Moran (Julia Cavanaugh), Charles Bickford (Flashy Madden), Victor Varconi (Count Ivan Karloff), Don Dillaway (Dick Webster)
Genre: Pre‑Code drama / social melodrama
Notable: A compact Columbia B‑picture that exposes class hypocrisy, seduction, and the fragile dignity of a woman trying to rebuild her life. A story where the “gentleman” is a fraud and the “criminal” is the only man with a conscience.

🧭 Story Summary

Julia Cavanaugh once belonged to New York’s privileged world—until her family fortune collapses.
Now burdened by debt and social shame, she becomes vulnerable to the wrong kind of attention.

Enter Count Ivan Karloff, a suave European aristocrat who seduces her with charm, flattery, and the illusion of security.
But when he discovers she is penniless, he abandons her without hesitation.

Into this wreckage steps Flashy Madden, a retired bootlegger with rough manners and a surprisingly tender moral core.
He offers to pay her debts—not for romance, but because he wants to become “a gentleman,” and he believes Julia can teach him.

Julia accepts, believing she is simply helping a man refine his manners.
But Flashy’s affection for her is real, deep, and quietly sacrificial.

Meanwhile, Julia is courted by Dick Webster, the senator’s son—a respectable match that promises stability.

Everything collapses when the Count returns to blackmail Julia.
Flashy confronts him.
A struggle.
A gunshot.
The Count falls.

Flashy is arrested and refuses to speak, determined to protect Julia’s reputation.
But Julia steps forward, risking everything—her engagement, her social standing, her future—to tell the truth.

The film closes with a sense of moral clarity:
the world’s “gentlemen” are not always good,
and the world’s “criminals” are not always lost.

🕰 Historical & Cultural Context

Released in 1931, the film reflects:

The Pre‑Code fascination with fallen women and social hypocrisy
America’s anxiety about class mobility during the Depression
The romanticization of the bootlegger as a folk hero
Columbia’s early‑’30s pattern of stories where virtue hides in unexpected places
A cultural moment when women’s financial vulnerability was a moral battleground

It sits comfortably beside films like The Good Bad Girl, Anybody’s Woman, and Secrets of a Secretary—stories where the world’s glitter hides rot, and the rough‑edged outsider carries the only real integrity.

✝️ Catholic Moral Resonances

1. The Counterfeit Aristocrat

The Count embodies the world’s false promises: elegance without virtue, charm without loyalty, refinement without conscience.

Catholic insight:
Sin often arrives dressed as sophistication.

2. The Bootlegger as the Unexpected Just Man

Flashy Madden is unpolished, uneducated, and morally ambiguous—but he is loyal, sacrificial, and truthful.

Catholic insight:
God often raises the lowly to shame the proud.
The film becomes a parable of the Good Thief:
a sinner with a clean heart.

3. Debt as a Spiritual Symbol

Julia’s financial ruin mirrors her interior vulnerability.

Insight:
Debt = the weight of past choices
Her temptation to “marry out of it” reflects the human desire to seek salvation through worldly alliances rather than truth.