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Rachel’s Corner Try “Chicken Biryani”
· Spirit hour: Old Fashioned with cherry in honor of St. Gregory
· Bucket List Trip: Santa Village, Finland
Best Place to visit in March: Washington, D.C.
I think this place is a gem! This attractive man-made reservoir is located between the Potomac River and the Washington Channel in Washington D.C.
Every spring, I’m in awe of the scenic spot which is transformed into a breathtaking spectacle as acres of pink and white cherry blossoms – gifted by Japan – burst into bloom. The peak bloom typically occurs from late March through early April, and I felt honored to witness the magical display.
I visited the Tidal Basin early in the morning and captured the stunning views without the crowds and also to watch the sun rise over the striking marbled monuments and the Japanese Pagoda, both of which added to the area’s serene beauty!
Then I explored rest of the city, which was filled with iconic landmarks, outstanding museums, and attractive green spaces. My favorite parts were the charming historic neighborhood of Georgetown, the iconic steps of Georgetown University famously featured in The Exorcist, the vibrant nightlife of DuPont Circle, and the stunning artwork in The Phillips Collection.
- Visitor’s Centre Address: 1501 Maine Ave SW, Washington, Phone (202) 479-2426
- Map Location
- Average temperature – 55
My favorite highlights…
- Going for a scenic bike ride around the picturesque Tidal Basin Loop – I loved how the calm waters of the Tidal Basin reflected the sky, blossoms and monuments, creating picture-perfect views!
- Spending the day at the enchanting National Cherry Blossom Festival,
held throughout March and April – I really enjoyed the interesting taiko drumming, martial arts demonstrations, and dance performances!- Going on an open-top bus which took me around all the famous presidential monuments – my favorites were the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and the Washington Monument.
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.
Dinner Menu
MARCH 12 Thursday Third week
Before
the spies lay down, Rahab went up to them on the roof and said:
“I know that the LORD has given you the land, that a dread of you has come upon
us, and that all the inhabitants of the land tremble with FEAR because of you.
Rahab
saved the spies of Israel.
Why?
She
knew the truth that God was with
Israel. Rahab was a survivor and a sinner; she knew God had given the land to
Israel. If you know the truth you do not swerve from it. Rahab was saved from
the fate of Jericho because of her action not just good will toward Israel.
James in his epistle puts it this way:
Do you want proof,
you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?
Was not Abraham our
father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
You see that faith
was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the
friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works
and not by faith alone. And
in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she
welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
Rahab was saved by her faith and actions by the God of Israel and as a result she is not only saved but the Christ the Messiah descends from Boaz her son.
Copilot’s Take
Rahab’s courage becomes even more striking when placed beside the quiet,
hidden courage of ordinary Iranians who confront evil in ways the world rarely
sees. She refuses to let fear or her past determine her allegiance; she
recognizes that God is acting, she breaks with a corrupt order that is already
collapsing under its own weight, and she steps into the light with a fidelity
that costs her something. Her story shows that evil is not always defeated by
force but by a decisive interior turn—by a sinner who recognizes truth, defects
from darkness, and acts in obedience to the God who saves. Jericho trembles
because its foundations are rotten, but Rahab stands because she anchors
herself to the living God. Her scarlet cord becomes a quiet rebellion against despair,
a sign that even in a doomed city God is already rescuing those who choose Him.
Her courage becomes generative—Boaz, Jesse, David, and ultimately Christ
Himself emerge from the lineage of a woman who dared to stand with God against
the darkness.
In Iran, there are Rahabs—women and men who see the truth clearly even
when speaking it aloud is dangerous. They confront evil not with weapons but
with witness: refusing lies, refusing to participate in injustice, refusing to
let fear dictate their allegiance. Some shelter the vulnerable, some speak
truth quietly in their homes, some refuse to repeat propaganda, some teach
their children a different way, some stand in the streets knowing the cost.
Their courage is often hidden, like a scarlet cord in a window, but God sees
it. And as with Rahab, their fidelity becomes generative—planting seeds of
freedom, dignity, and hope that may bear fruit long after the present darkness
passes.
A reflection in Rahab’s order—truth, rupture, fidelity—invites the reader to examine where they themselves must confront evil. Truth begins with naming what is broken without flinching. Rupture requires withdrawing allegiance from anything that corrupts the soul, even if the break is quiet and unseen. Fidelity demands that faith take the shape of concrete obedience, however small, however costly. In every age and every land, God raises Rahabs—those who see clearly, choose courageously, and stand with Him against the darkness.
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent[1]
Prayer. MAY heavenly
propitiation increase Thy people subject to Thee, O Lord, we beseech Thee, and
make them ever servants of Thy commandments.
EPISTLE. Jer. vii. 1-7.
In those days the word of the Lord came to me, saying
Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord, and proclaim there this word, and
say: Hear ye the word of the Lord, all ye men of Juda, that enter in at these
gates, to adore the Lord. Thus, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Make your ways and your doings good: and I will dwell with you in this place.
Trust not in lying words, saying: The temple of the Lord, the temple of the
Lord, it is the temple of the Lord. For if you will order well your ways, and
your doings: if you will execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if
you oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not
innocent blood in this place, and walk not after strange gods to your own hurt,
I will dwell with you in this place: in the land which I gave to your fathers
from the beginning and forever, saith the Lord Almighty.
GOSPEL. Luke iv. 38-44.
At that time Jesus, rising up out of the synagogue, went into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever, and they besought Him for her. And standing over her, He commanded the fever, and it left her. And immediately rising, she ministered to them. And when the sun was down, all they that had any sick with divers’ diseases brought them to Him. But He laying His hands on every one of them, healed them. And devils went out from many, crying out and saying: Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them He suffered them not to speak, for they knew that He was Christ. And when it was day, going out He went into a desert place, and the multitudes sought Him, and came unto Him: and they stayed Him that He should not depart from them. To whom He said: To other cities also I must preach the kingdom of God: for therefor am I sent. And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Lenten Calendar[2]
Read: The
Seven Penitential Psalms, Day Three:
(During times when we wish to express repentance, and
especially during Lent, it is customary to pray the seven penitential psalms.
The penitential designation of these psalms’ dates back to the seventh century.
Prayerfully reciting these psalms will help us to recognize our sinfulness,
express our sorrow and ask for God’s forgiveness.) Today we will focus on Psalm
38.
Reflect: Read
this reflection on Psalm
38—Prayer of an Afflicted Sinner.
Pray: “LORD,
do not punish me in your anger, in your wrath do not chastise me!” (Ps 38:2)
Preparing for Battle[3] Know
Your Weapons
2.
Reconciliation. Each time we
sin, the Devil strengthens his grip on us; that is why it’s so important to go
to sacramental Confession regularly.
3.
The Eucharist. Mass is a
great defense against the assault of the Devil. Before Him the all-conquering
power, the demons must flee. “We must return from that Table like lions
breathing fire, having become terrifying to the Devil!”
4.
Confirmation. To confirm
means to make strong.
5.
Anointing of the Sick.
Illness, especially serious illness, can be a trial in which Satan comes to
tempt us to be overcome by fear, discouragement, doubt, and even despair.
6.
Matrimony. The Devil’s first
attack on the human race was focused on a married couple. The home must become
a sanctuary, a holy place, a fortress against Satan’s assaults.
7. Holy Orders. The sacrament through which Christ’s mission for the Church continues to be exercised until the end of the world.
Holy Order of Porters[4]
In the last 50 years, various minor orders in the
church, including porter, exorcist, and the major order of subdeacon simply no
longer exist in the Latin Church who no longer felt they were necessary [all
of the minor orders and the subdiaconate are still used within the
Independent Sacramental Movement]. What is the theology behind these orders
and why were they abolished?
As early as the third century, certain roles of
service, including deacon, subdeacon, lector, and acolyte, were present in the
church. These orders over time became linked to preparation for the priesthood
and were divided between “minor orders” (porter, exorcist, lector, and acolyte)
and “major orders” (subdeacon, deacon, and priest). Each order was received,
and its function performed for a suitable time before a man was ordained to the
priesthood.
The roles were varied but served a legitimate purpose
in the early church, usually related to the Mass. For instance, the porter was
the doorkeeper, responsible for opening and closing the church and guarding the
door during the celebration of Mass.
Together the orders constituted ministries of service
that developed in the church according to need. Yet over time, many of them
lost their function. The orders, especially porter and exorcist, became
symbolic. The loss of these functions occasioned a revision of the orders after
the Second Vatican Council.
The Ordination of
Porters.
This order confers the office of caring for the dignity of the house of God and of maintaining order therein. During the early persecutions it was necessary to indicate to the faithful the time and place of divine service, and to keep the doors of the place of meeting locked against intruders. This was the duty of the “porters” and “messengers of God.” The duties of this office are pointed out by the bishop to be: “To strike the cymbal and ring the bell, to open the church and the sanctuary, and the book of him who preaches.” These duties are symbolic for the still higher duty “of closing to the devil and opening to God, by their word and example, the invisible house of God, namely, the hearts of the faithful.”
The matter of this order is the presenting of the keys
of the church to the clerics to be touched by their right hand, and the form is
the accompanying admonition: “Conduct yourselves as having to render an account
to God for those things which are kept under these keys.”
The bishop then invites all present to pray with him
“that these porters may be most diligent in their care of the house of God.”
Although the Ostiariate is no longer a distinct
institution in the Church, still for that very reason every pastor ought to be
a true ostiary, consumed with zeal for the house of God. He must love the
church, frequently visit it, banish from it all uncleanliness, disorder, and
irreverence, procure decent vestments and ornaments, and guard against the loss
or profanation of anything consecrated to divine service. He must himself be
punctual and urge others to punctuality in divine service.
Still greater care must he bestow on the “invisible
house of God, the hearts of the faithful,” that they may be closed to the devil
and opened to the graces and blessings of God, promoting thus the interior
service of God by word and deed.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Porters of Saint Joseph is a volunteer apostolate
with the mission to imitate St. Joseph as the Protector of the Holy Church,
Pillar of Families, and Terror of Demons.
We do this by providing a safe environment at our
parishes so the faithful can worship God in peace and security. We build teams
of faithful men who have felt the call to get involved but have not yet found
the opportunity to put their courageous, heroic, masculine heart at the service
of their parish, while at the same time, forming a bond of Christian
brotherhood with like-minded men.
Fulfill our successor to the apostle’s call to step
into the breach and join the Porters of St. Joseph!
SERVING & PROTECTING
PHOENIX
SAN DIEGO
TUCSON
“The Porters
of St. Joseph are a very active and important ministry for men in our parish.
They provide support to the parish and to me as the Pastor in many ways, most
especially as security and medical assistance during Masses. Recently we had
two instances where members of the parish had medical emergencies during Mass.
The Porters of St. Joseph immediately assisted these parishioners, getting them
to safety and assessing their need for treatment without a disruption to the
congregation or the Mass. The Porters of St. Joseph also provided our parish
with a safety assessment and a plan to increase safety on our parish campus. I
highly recommend this ministry to any Pastor who would love to mobilize the men
of their parish to grow in their spirituality and devotion to the Blessed
Sacrament, while providing a much needed ministry.” Fr. John Muir // Vicar
General // Diocese of Phoenix
ESTABLISH YOUR CHAPTER
Contact us and let us get you everything you’ll need to
start a chapter and schedule training for your Porters.
Bible in a
year Day 253 Lamentations
of Jeremiah
As Fr. Mike begins the book of Lamentations, we read
about Jeremiah’s sorrow as he witnesses the siege and suffering of Jerusalem.
In the book of Jeremiah, we hear a word of comfort from the Lord to Baruch.
Today’s readings are Jeremiah 45-46, Lamentations 1, and Proverbs 17:21-28.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Holy Priests, Consecrated, & Religious
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Kiss of Death (1947)
Production Details
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Henry Hathaway
Release: August 27, 1947
Source Material: Story by Eleazar Lipsky
Genre: Film Noir / Crime Drama
Runtime: 98 minutes
Cast: Victor Mature, Richard Widmark, Coleen Gray, Brian Donlevy, Karl Malden, Taylor Holmes
Story Summary
Nick Bianco (Victor Mature), a small‑time crook and devoted father, is arrested after a Christmas Eve jewelry heist. Believing in a criminal code of silence, he refuses to inform on his partners and receives a long prison sentence. Months later he learns that his wife, overwhelmed by shame and poverty, has died by suicide, and his daughters have been placed in an orphanage.
Crushed, Nick agrees to cooperate with Assistant District Attorney D’Angelo (Brian Donlevy). His testimony entangles him with Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark), a giggling, sadistic killer whose unpredictability becomes the film’s central terror. When Udo is acquitted, Nick realizes that his cooperation has placed his new life—and the woman who loves him—in mortal danger. The final act becomes a moral confrontation between a man trying to reclaim his soul and a man who delights in destruction.
Historical and Cultural Influences
- Postwar moral anxiety: Released just after WWII, the film reflects a society wrestling with guilt, justice, and the fragility of order. Nick’s struggle mirrors the era’s desire for moral reconstruction.
- Rise of the “psychopathic villain”: Widmark’s Tommy Udo introduced a new kind of screen menace—laughing, chaotic, and unbound by conscience—reflecting fears of violence erupting in peacetime America.
- Realistic procedural style: Hathaway’s semi‑documentary approach echoes the late‑1940s trend toward gritty urban realism, influenced by wartime newsreels and the public’s appetite for authenticity.
- Shifting views on informants: The film arrived during growing debates about loyalty, cooperation with authorities, and the ethics of “naming names,” themes that would intensify during the HUAC era.
- Family as moral center: Unlike many noirs, Kiss of Death grounds its protagonist in domestic responsibility, reflecting postwar America’s emphasis on rebuilding family life.
Catholic Themes and Moral Resonances
Sin, Silence, and the Eighth Commandment
Nick’s initial refusal to speak is framed as loyalty, but it harms the innocent. Catholic moral teaching insists that truth‑telling is ordered toward justice and the protection of the vulnerable. His eventual cooperation becomes an act of reparation, not betrayal.
Redemption Through Responsibility
Nick’s path is not glamorous. It is penitential. He accepts consequences, chooses honesty, and seeks to rebuild his life. Catholic anthropology sees redemption not as escape but as the restoration of right relationship—exactly what Nick attempts with his daughters and with Nettie.
The Face of Evil
Tommy Udo is a cinematic icon of malice: gleeful, mocking, and unrestrained. He embodies the “wolf” Christ warns about—one who delights in devouring the weak. The film dramatizes the necessity of confronting evil rather than appeasing it.
Justice, Imperfection, and Providence
The justice system in the film is flawed but necessary. Catholic social teaching acknowledges that human institutions are imperfect yet still instruments through which God’s order can be served. Nick’s cooperation becomes a way of participating in that order.
Courage as Moral Action
Nick’s final decision is not vengeance but protection. He steps into danger to shield those entrusted to him. This echoes the Catholic understanding of fortitude: the willingness to suffer for the good of others.Hospitality Pairing
Drink: Rye whiskey neat—sharp, honest, and edged with danger, matching the film’s noir tension and Widmark’s electric menace.
Snack: A simple New York pastrami sandwich or roast beef with mustard—blue‑collar, unpretentious, and grounded in the film’s urban grit.
Atmosphere: Low light, a single lamp, maybe a cigar afterward. This is a film about facing darkness with a steady hand.
Reflection Prompt
When truth‑telling carries real cost, how do we discern the line between loyalty and justice, and what does courage look like when the innocent depend on our choices?
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