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Smoke in This Life and Not the Next
Saturday — Cheap Cigar & Cheap Whiskey Day
Pick your cheap cigar.
Pick your cheap whiskey.
That’s the whole point today — the low, rough, humble things that remind a man that purification starts small, starts now, and starts with willingness rather than comfort.
A cheap smoke and a bottom‑shelf pour preach the same sermon:
“Choose the little fire now.”
✨ Purgatory in the Divine Plan (Short, Sharp, True)
This reflection highlights that meditating on the intense purification of Purgatory encourages living a holy life, avoiding minor faults, and practicing penance now to avoid suffering later.
While Catholic tradition teaches that Purgatorial fire is intense, this reflection emphasizes pairing this awareness with trust in God’s mercy rather than excessive fear.
A cheap cigar and a cheap whiskey say it in their own rough way:
Let the small fire shape you now,
so the great fire can lift you clean into the light.
Michael’s Corner
Find your delight in the LORD
who will give you your heart’s desire.
(Psalm 37:4)
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· Bucket List trip: Retreat in the Himalayan Foothills
· Spirit Hour: National Ranch Water Day
· 30 Days with St. Joseph Day 23
· Try “National Poutine Day”
“Little by little, one goes far”
Highly Sensitive Person: 5 Things That Are Draining Your Energy Without You Realizing[10]
If you identify as a highly sensitive person (HSP), you’ll likely be familiar with a general feeling of overwhelm and emotional exhaustion.
Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and overloaded all at the same time?
Us too. Here are the five things in your life that might be draining your energy without you even realizing.
You’re saying ‘yes’ too often
It sounds obvious being too available is a quick way to drain anyone, but especially HSPs. Yes, it’s tempting to agree to every brunch plan, birthday party and family day, but it’s essential to make sure you have enough time to recoup between. The same goes for agreeing to emotional labour, too.
As Boyer urges: “Check your boundaries, my friend!” If you don’t have the capacity to be there for a friend, be honest and tell them so. A good friend will understand and respect your limits.
You’re always multitasking
As productive as it may feel, research actually suggests that multitasking takes a serious toll on output. Our brains lack the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time, so in moments where we think we’re multitasking, we’re likely just switching quickly from task to task.
For HSPs, this can be particularly taxing on their already fraught nervous system. Instead, Boyer advises batching similar tasks together as often as you can. “You’ll be amazed at how much more you get done this way,” she says.
“Because, more often than not, it’s the minutiae of life that slowly wears us down”
You’re procrastinating on annoying to-dos
Clearing out your wardrobe, filing paperwork and stocking up your cupboards are never anyone’s favourite chores, but having small tasks sit on your to-do list week after week takes up valuable mental space and unconsciously drains your energy. Actually, the best way to tackle it is by just doing the task. It might feel like a slog at first, but she promises you’ll feel much better for it.
You have a messy, cluttered space
“As an HSP, you’re taking in everything in your environment,” explains Boyer. So it’s important to set yourself up for success with a calming, mess-free area, no matter the size of your home. “ Tidying up, changing a paint color, or reorganizing a space can do wonders for your energy,” she adds.
You’re too available and accessible
Once again, the key here is setting boundaries. “When we’re always accessible, we take ourselves out of the flow, give away our energy, and de-prioritise ourselves,” stresses Boyer. It can be hard, but checking yourself when you feel like you’re acting on your people pleasing tendencies or allowing others to trauma dump on you can be a vital first step in protecting yourself.
Fun things to do in Arizona.
Beware of others’ butts when in the water!
· Coachella--April 11-13 & 18-20--Get your music fill at the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The annual 2-weekend, 3-day fest kicks off in Indio, CA, with more than 150 performances.
APRIL 11 Saturday in the Octave of Easter
St.
Stanislaus
Judges, Chapter 7, Verse 3
So announce in the
hearing of the soldiers, “If anyone is AFRAID
or fearful, let him leave!
Let him depart from Mount Gilead!” Twenty-two thousand of the
soldiers left, but ten thousand remained.
Fear!
Those who are fearful are ruled by their emotions. Gideon knew this emotion
well for he was a man afraid. What changed him? It was God! God had changed his
fear into hope and love for the reign of God. God had changed his unbelief into
resolute iron will.
Saint John Paul II was a sword of Gideon; he reminded us that we too must be unafraid that we must be bold and remember that Gideon did not defeat the Midianites with the sword but with fear.
Gideon needed to lead a night
attack against the Midianites and Amalekites. His plan was to have every
soldier carry a trumpet and a torch, the latter inside a clay pot, and blow the
trumpet and reveal the torch upon command. The racket and the sudden appearance
of hundreds of torches would doubtlessly panic the enemy troops, who would have
no idea as to how many enemies had come out of nowhere. A night attack,
however, involves considerable risk. Even today, only the most skilled soldiers
are willing to undertake such a mission. A lot of things can go wrong, and it
is very easy to mistake friend for foe in the darkness. There is a good chance
of shooting or, in ancient times, stabbing one’s own people unless the
operation goes perfectly. Any premature action or loud noise can allow the
enemy to draw up his soldiers into formations that can repel an attack. If, for
example, one of Gideon’s men dropped his pot by accident during the approach to
the enemy camp, the exposed torch would have told the enemy sentries that
something was amiss. The job was clearly not one for amateurs, or people who
lacked commitment.
The first step was therefore to
send away the more than two-thirds of Gideon’s army that was hesitant to fight
the enemy. This made eminent sense because fear might easily result in the kind
of false move—and it would take only one—that would ruin the operation. Ten
thousand soldiers were still, however, ten thousand opportunities for something
to go wrong. It wasn’t enough that they were committed and willing to fight;
they also had to have the discipline and training necessary to participate in a
night attack. As Judges 7.4 through 7.7 continues: “And the Lord said unto
Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will
try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This
shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto
thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
“So he brought down the people unto
the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, every one that lappeth of the water
with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise
every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.[1]
Now
those who drank like dogs what do you suppose they had in their hands. Their
weapons! They were ready for the battle at any moment. God needs stout hearted
men and women.
Are you ready?
Copilot’s Take
Gideon’s moment at the water reveals that fear is not neutral—it governs unless it is disciplined. The Catechism teaches that fortitude steadies the will in the pursuit of the good even when fear presses hard (CCC 1808). Stanislaus embodies this same interior victory: he confronted evil not through force but through fidelity, standing before corruption with a conscience formed by God rather than by fear.
The Church also teaches that authority must serve the
common good and remain rooted in moral law (CCC 1902–1904). When governance
fractures or power becomes distorted, the Christian does not mirror the
disorder. Instead, he stands inside a higher order—truth, justice, and the
dignity of every human person. This is why the witness of martyrs matters: they
show that fidelity is stronger than intimidation.
In times of global tension or conflict, the disciple
confronts evil through truth‑telling (CCC 2471–2474), refusing hatred, and
laboring for peace grounded in justice (CCC 2304). The Resurrection week
demands this posture. Evil is not met with panic or retaliation but with
ordered courage, the kind that refuses to surrender moral ground even when the
world trembles.
To stand ready, the soul must be trained across five
layers of virtue. The interior healers—clarity, courage, victory over spiritual
fear, purity of speech, and endurance—form the first line of readiness. The
Marian virtues—humility, love of neighbor, poverty of spirit, purity, and
obedience—anchor the heart so it cannot be bribed or bent. The wounds of Christ
add surrender, sacrifice, fidelity, mercy, and perseverance, shaping a will
that can walk into darkness without becoming darkness. The five books of Moses
supply identity, deliverance, holiness, discipline, and covenant—the backbone
of a person who refuses collapse. And the ascent of the soul—nefesh, ruach,
neshamah, chayah, yechidah—trains a person to rise from instinct to communion,
until fear loses its power and the will aligns with God rather than survival.
This is the readiness Gideon demanded, the courage Stanislaus embodied, and the formation the Church expects: not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it.
|
Interior Healers |
Marian Virtues |
Wounds of Christ |
Books of Moses |
Levels of the Soul |
|
Clarity |
Humility |
Surrender |
Genesis – Identity |
Nefesh – Life |
|
Courage |
Love of Neighbor |
Sacrifice |
Exodus – Deliverance |
Ruach – Emotion |
|
Victory over Fear |
Poverty of Spirit |
Fidelity |
Leviticus – Holiness |
Neshamah – Intellect |
|
Purity of Speech |
Purity |
Mercy |
Numbers – Discipline |
Chayah – Spirit |
|
Endurance |
Obedience |
Perseverance |
Deuteronomy – Covenant |
Yechidah – Union |
Saturday in the Octave of Easter[2]
Acts 4:13-21 +
Mark 16:9-15
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.
Throughout
the Blessed Virgin Mary’s life, humility marked her approach to her Lord.
Humility is not a virtue that one can ever spiritually outgrow. Whatever
graces God gives us, they are given for the unfolding of His plan, which often
remains to us a mystery. Even as we apply these graces in our lives, we
must do so with humility, as day by day, another aspect of the mystery of our
vocation is shown to us.
Even
at the foot of the Cross, Mary prayed in humility. It was with humility
that she rejoiced at the sight of her Son risen from the dead. Seeing
Jesus on that first Easter Sunday, she would not have known exactly how He was
preparing His disciples—through the power of the Holy Spirit—to form a
Church. Nor would she have known exactly how Jesus’ words to her from the
Cross—
“Woman,
behold your son”—were about to flower with new meaning, when she became
the Mother of the Church on the day of Pentecost.
If
you do not already know it by heart, take the opportunity to learn the prayer Regina
Caeli, the traditional Marian prayer of Easter:
V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
V.
Has risen, as he said, alleluia. / R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. / R. For the Lord has truly
risen, alleluia.
Let
us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of
the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Divine
Mercy Novena[3]
Ninth
Day - Today Bring Me The Souls Who Have Become Lukewarm.
Most Compassionate Jesus, you are Compassion Itself. I
bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this
fire of Your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled You
with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus,
exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of
Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond
Your power.
Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm
souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus.
Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His
three-hour agony on the Cross: let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy.
Amen
Becoming lukewarm is not
living the "Our Father."
- Have I trusted God and not
feared?
- Have I hollowed His Name-Have
I been prideful?
- Have I done His Will-Have I
been angry?
- Have I provided for the needs
of others-Have I been gluttonous?
- Have I given mercy, and
forgiveness-Have I been envious or promoted elitism?
- Have I failed to resist
evil-Have I acted to make others’ lives better and not been slothful?
- Have I worked to build the
Kingdom, or have I seen others as objects to use and not as children of
God?
- Have I done all I could to
deliver others from evil. Have I lusted after flesh, power, or revenge?
Hike for the Lukewarm[4]
Beatitudes
Hike
During this hike you will meditate on each of the ways you may have been walking away from God; marking each of the points as you hike stopping multiple times to pray. On the return hike, you will meditate using the walking towards God meditations. Remember every journey away from something is a journey toward something—the first meditations are the seven deadly sins with fear added as an eighth; and you will be meditating on the Beatitudes of Christ on the way back in reverse order.
Walking Away from GOD
(Have I been/Shown?)
2. PRIDE/HUBRIS:
Arrogant, Conceit, Smugness, Self-importance, Satisfaction, Pleasure,
Delight.
3. ENVY: Jealousy,
Desire, Resentment, Spite, Malice, Meanness.
4. WRATH: Anger,
Annoyance, Rage, Fury, Aggravation, Frustration.
5. AVARICE: Greed,
Materialism, Covetousness, Acquisitiveness.
6. SLOTH: Laziness,
Idleness, Sluggishness, Inactivity, Indolence (condition that is slow to
develop or be healed and causes no pain-i.e. fail to resist evil) Apathy.
7. GLUTTONY: Excess,
Exclusivity, Overindulgence, Intemperance.
8. LUST: Yearn,
Desire, long for, hanker for, Hunger for, Ache for, Crave.
Walking toward GOD
(Have I failed to be,
do or show?)
8. CHASTITY (PURITY OF HEART): Cleanliness, Wholesomeness, Spotlessness, Clarity; Transparency, Knowledge, Honesty, Wisdom. Opposing Deadly Sin: LUST
The poor in spirit are:
·
Those who, happening to lose their property by misfortune or injustice,
suffer the loss patiently, in resignation to the will of God.
·
Those who, like Jesus, are content with their poor and humble position,
seek no higher or happier one, and would rather suffer want than enrich
themselves by unlawful acts, by fraud or theft.
·
The rich and noble who set not their hearts upon the riches and
greatness of the world who use their riches and influence to relieve the misery
of the needy and oppressed.
·
Finally, the truly humble, who, convinced of their weakness, their
helplessness and misery, think lowly of themselves, and regard themselves but
as beggars, who are always in need of the grace of God. To all these,
therefore, in whose hearts the world has no place, there is assured, as their
inheritance, the kingdom of heaven; here the kingdom of grace there the kingdom
of glory. (Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)
Blessed are they that hunger and
thirst after justice, for they shall have their fill. Hunger and thirst denote
the most ardent longing after those virtues which constitute Christian
perfection, such as humility, meekness, the love of God and of our neighbor,
penance. Whoever longs for these virtues as the hungry man does for food and
drink and prays to God for them with perseverance and earnestness, shall have
his fill; that is, he shall be enriched with them, and one day shall be
satisfied with eternal Happiness. (Goffine’s
Devout Instructions, 1896)
Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy. The merciful here spoken of are:
·
Those who have compassion on their poor neighbors, and, according to
their ability, sustain them by alms. These shall obtain mercy; that is, God
will forgive them their sins and endow them abundantly with the goods of this
world and of the world to come. Thus, God deals with us as we deal with others.
(Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called the children of God. By peacemakers we are to understand
those who have peace with themselves, that is, a quiet conscience, and who
endeavor to maintain peace among others, or to restore it when broken. Such are
called the children of God, because they follow God, Who is a God of peace, and
Who even gave His only Son to reconcile the world with Him, and to bring down
upon earth that peace which the world itself could not give. (Goffine’s Devout
Instructions, 1896)
Blessed are they that mourn, for
they shall be comforted. By them that mourn we are not to understand such as
grieve and lament over a death, a misfortune, a loss of worldly goods, or the
like; but those who are grieved that God should be in so many ways offended by
themselves and by others that His Church should be so heavily oppressed, and
thereby so many souls lost that have been redeemed with the precious blood of
Christ. The only evil really to be grieved for is sin, and the tears shed on
account of sin are the only tears that are profitable, for they shall be
recompensed with everlasting joy. (Goffine’s
Devout Instructions, 1896)
Blessed are the meek, for they
shall possess the land. That man is meek who does not murmur against God for
sending afflictions upon him, who is not angry at men who do him injury, but
who rather suppresses impatience, anger, envy, and revenge, nay, who seeks to
recompense the evil done him by his neighbor with good. Such a one is greater
than he who takes by storm fortified cities (Prov. xvi. 32); he possesses an
unfailing fountain of peace, quiet, and cheerfulness; by his meekness prevails
over the most hostile minds, is by such means truly a ruler upon earth, and
will one day, for his portion, obtain heaven, the land of the living, there to
enjoy eternal peace. (Goffine’s Devout
Instructions, 1896)
Love Brothers and sisters do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows “what is in man”. He alone knows it. So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of eternal life.
Divine
Mercy Sunday[5]-Tomorrow-Go to
Confession Today
Divine Mercy Sunday is a very special Sunday when
the Divine Floodgates from Heaven are wide-opened and Jesus offers us the total
forgiveness of all sins and punishment to any soul, who goes to Confession and
receives Him in Holy Communion, on that day.
Our Lord's Divine Mercy Sunday grants forgiveness of
all sins and punishment on the Feast of Divine Mercy, Mercy Sunday, mercy for
even the most hardened sinners! It is the Sunday of Divine Mercy, the Feast of
Mercy!
Drops of Christ’s Blood[6] St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Bridget, wishing to know something of the Passion of Jesus Christ, offered fervent and special prayers. Upon which Our Lord revealed to them:
To all the
faithful who shall recite for 3 years, each day, 2 Our Fathers,
2 Hail Mary’s and 2 Glory Be’s in honor of the drops of Blood I lost,
I will concede the following 5 graces:
1.
The
plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins.
2.
You
will be free from the pains of Purgatory.
3.
If
you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same
as if you had completed them.
4.
It
will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy
Faith.
5.
I
will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until
the fourth generation.
Blessed by His Holiness Pope Leo
XIII in Rome, April 5, 1890
The thought of saving souls should always be on our mind. St. John Bosco stated it well. "There is nothing more holy in this world than to work for the good of souls, for whose salvation Jesus Christ poured out the last drops of His blood." St. Vincent de Paul tells us that: "The salvation of men and our own are so great a good that they merit to be obtained at any price."
Sad to say, the great majority of Catholics put forth little or no effort in
promoting the greater honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls. Let us
keep in mind that if we manage to save one soul, we also ensure the salvation
of our own. The Holy Ghost reveals this to us in the Holy Bible. [St. James 5:
19-20] This little practice gives us a very easy way to save our own soul as
well as the ones dearest to us------our family.
St. Stanislaus[7]
I shall content myself with relating the history of St. Stanislaus, Bishop of Cracow, Poland, who restored to life a man who had been dead for three years, attended by such singular circumstances, and in so public a manner, that the thing is beyond the severest criticism.... This incident was known by countless persons and by all the court of King Boleslaus II (reigned 1058-1080) St. Stanislaus, bought from a man named Piotr [Peter] an estate situated on the banks of the Vistula in the territory of Lublin for the use of his church at Cracow. The Prelate gave the full price of it to the seller. This was done in the presence of witnesses, and with the solemnities required in that country, but without written deeds, for written accounts of transactions of this kind were seldom made in Poland at that time. They contented themselves with having witnesses. Stanislaus took possession of this estate, and his church enjoyed it peaceably for about three years. In the interim, Piotr, who had sold it, happened to die. The King of Poland, Boleslaus, had conceived an implacable hatred against the holy Bishop because he had frequently reproved him for his excesses. Therefore, seeking to cause him trouble, the King excited the three sons of Piotr, his heirs, against their father and told them to claim the estate which their father had sold, on the pretense that it had not been paid for. He promised to support their demand, and to cause the estate to be restored to them. Thus, these three men had the Bishop cited to appear before the King, who was then at Solec, occupied in rendering justice under some tents in the country, according to the ancient custom of the land, in the general assembly of the nation. The Bishop was cited before the King and maintained that he had bought and paid for the estate in question. The day was beginning to close, and the Bishop ran great risk of being condemned by the King and his counselors. Suddenly, as if inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Bishop promised the King to bring before him in three days Piotr, the deceased man who had sold it to him.
The condition was accepted mockingly, as a thing impossible to be executed. The holy Bishop retired to his Church a distance away, where he prayed and fasted with his household for three days. On the third day, he went in his pontifical robes, accompanied by his clergy and a multitude of people, ordered the gravestone to be raised, and made them dig until they found the corpse of the defunct, all fleshless and corrupted. Then St. Stanislaus commanded him to come forth and bear witness to the truth before the King's tribunal. The Bishop touched the bones with his crosier, and they filled out with flesh. The dead Piotr rose; they covered him with a cloak. The Saint took him by the hand and led him alive to the feet of the King. No one had the boldness to interrogate him. But Piotr himself spoke out freely and declared that he had in good faith sold the estate to the Prelate and that he had received the value of it. After stating this, he severely reprimanded his sons, who had so maliciously accused the holy Bishop. Stanislaus asked Piotr if he wished to remain alive to do penance. Piotr thanked him and said he would not expose himself anew to the danger of sinning. Stanislaus re-conducted him to his tomb, where he again fell asleep in the Lord. It may be supposed that such a scene had numerous witnesses, and that all Poland was quickly informed of it. The King was only the more irritated against the Saint. Sometime after [on May 8, 1079], he killed the Bishop with his own hands as he was coming from the altar in Wawel Castle outside the walls of Cracow. He then ordered that the Prelate’s body be hacked into 72 pieces so that they might never be collected together to be paid the honor due to them as the body of a martyr for the truth and for pastoral liberty. St. Stanislaus was canonized in 1253 by Pope Innocent IV. He is the patron of Poland and of the city and Diocese of Cracow and is invoked in battle.
Things to Do:[8]
·
Sometimes evil has to be confronted boldly,
whatever the consequences. Brave men like St. Stanislaus of Cracow risked death
in facing evil. There is little chance today that we will ever be in that
danger, but we must always be willing to defend the truth, and it should be
very clear, in the face of genuine evil, where we stand. Christ our Lord can
expect no less from us. Say an extra prayer today for the gift of fortitude.
· Learn a little more about the city of Kracow
where both St. Stanislaus and Pope John Paul II came from.
·
For those who are extremely interested in
knowing more about Polish history this online book, Polish
Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland may prove to be a good
source of information.
·
The final work of Franz Liszt is the unfinished
oratorio St. Stanislaus, for which he left two scenes (one and four) and two
polonaises. Learn more about this oratorio here
and if you are able find a copy and listen.
Bible in a
year Day 281 Good
and Evil
Fr. Mike summarizes the final moments
of the book of Nehemiah, when Nehemiah returns to find the people of Israel
being unfaithful to God’s commandments and marrying foreign wives. Fr. Mike
connects this to our lives, as we too often confuse God’s unending love for us
to mean that he always wants what we want. Today’s readings are Nehemiah 13,
Malachi 1-4, and Proverbs 21: 25-28.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
How to prepare for a Sick Call[9]
When a person is homebound, bedridden, or suffering from a
severe ailment, Catholics are taught to call the priest. Decades ago the
sacrament reserved for the very ill or dying was known as Extreme Unction (last
anointing) or more commonly “Last
Rites.” Today we know it as the Anointing of the
Sick, and it is not given exclusively to those who are on their deathbed. It is
one of the seven sacraments and invokes God’s divine aid for those suffering in
a physical way.
In days when people more often died at home, there developed the custom of having a “sick call” crucifix on hand for emergency visits by a priest. This type of crucifix was hung on the wall of a person’s home (usually above the bed). The crucifix contained a hidden compartment, revealed by sliding the face of the cross downward. Within the compartment were two candles, a small bottle of holy water and sometimes a white cloth.
The purpose of the sick-call crucifix — they are still made
today — is to facilitate the ritual connected to the Anointing of the Sick,
making the bedside a sacred space for the sacrament. Interestingly, it used to be a popular wedding present,
meant to be hung over the bed of a married couple, ready to be of used when a spouse was in need of an
anointing. It reminded the
couple of their commitment to be true to each other “in sickness and in
health.”
Here is brief instruction on how to prepare for a home
visit by a priest to celebrate the Anointing of the Sick.
Prepare a small table next to the bed
This can often be a nightstand or a collapsable table that
is small and easy to move. The table will be there to hold all of the various
elements of the ritual.
Place a white cloth on the table
It is appropriate to place a white cloth over the table,
similar to the white cloth covers the altar at Mass. If the sick person is near
death, or has requested to receive Holy Communion as part of the Anointing, the
priest will bring a small container called a pyx with a consecrated Eucharistic
host in it. The priest will place the pyx on the table and so the white cloth
adds greater reverence and respect to the King of Kings who is truly present in
the host. (This is also the case when an Extraordinary Minister of Holy
Communion brings the Eucharist to a person who is hospitalized or homebound.)
Set up the crucifix on the table
A sick-call crucifix is constructed so that, when opened, the face of the crucifix can be set upright in a slot in the base. This creates a focal point of the sacrament, encouraging the sick person to unite their sufferings with Christ on the cross.
Place one candle on each side of the
crucifix
The crucifix will also have two slots, one on either side.
This is where the candles are to be placed and lit when the priest arrives.
Again, this is to mimic the altar at Mass, reminding all present that Christ is
truly present in the Eucharistic host that the priest brings with him.
Other (optional) items to have
The holy water bottle can be placed on the table as well,
though often the priest will bring his own with him. This is used to bless the
sick person. After the priest administers the anointing with the Oil of the
Sick (which he will bring, from the parish’s store of oils consecrated at the
Chrism Mass each year, in a container called a stock), he will need a white
cloth or cotton ball to wipe his fingers. (Sock sick-call crucifixes include
these items, or the priest may bring his own.) Another variation of the
sick-call set has a small bell to be set on the table for use after confession,
signaling that family members may return to the room.
The sick-call crucifix is a beautiful tradition, one that adds a greater solemnity for the occasion, reminding all in the room of God’s presence among them.
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: End
Sex Trafficking, Slavery
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
[1] http://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/quality-insider-column/062215-gideon-versus-disney-who-would-win.html
[3]https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/holy-week/prayers-for-easter-sunday/nine-day-divine-mercy-novena
[4]http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-havermale/divine-mercy-hikes/paperback/product-23710456.htm
[8]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-04-11
Once to Every Woman (1934)
A pre‑Code hospital drama where ambition, compassion, and human frailty collide inside the pressure cooker of a big‑city surgical ward; where a brilliant young surgeon rises as an older master declines; and where a nurse of quiet integrity becomes the moral axis around which pride, vocation, and sacrifice turn.
Sources: imdb.com
🎬 Production Snapshot
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Director: Lambert Hillyer
Release: 1934
Screenplay: Based on Kaleidoscope in “K” by A.J. Cronin
Stars: Ralph Bellamy (Dr. Barclay), Fay Wray (Anne Lee), Walter Connolly (Dr. Selby)
Genre: Medical Drama / Pre‑Code Institutional Morality / Professional Romance
Notable: Early Cronin adaptation; a rare pre‑Code look at medical hierarchy, burnout, and the ethics of ambition; one of Wray’s strongest non‑horror roles.
🧭 Story Summary
Inside the wards of a bustling metropolitan hospital, Nurse Anne Lee (Fay Wray) is the steadying presence — competent, compassionate, and unafraid to speak truth. She becomes the hinge between two surgeons:
- Dr. Selby, the aging master whose hands are beginning to betray him
- Dr. Barclay, the rising young surgeon whose skill is matched only by his pride
A crisis exposes Selby’s decline, and Barclay steps in — not with humility, but with the fierce certainty of a man who believes talent alone justifies authority. Anne sees both the brilliance and the danger in him.
As the hospital becomes a battleground of egos, loyalties, and whispered judgments, Anne’s quiet courage forces each man to confront the truth:
- Selby must face the end of his vocation with dignity.
- Barclay must learn that skill without compassion becomes cruelty.
- Anne must discern where duty ends and where love — or something like it — begins.
The climax is not a romantic crescendo but a moral one: a surgical emergency that reveals the true measure of each heart. The resolution is tender, sober, and earned — a recognition that vocation is not merely what one can do, but what one is willing to sacrifice for others.
🕰 Historical & Cultural Context
Released in 1934, the film stands at the threshold of the Production Code’s tightening grip. It reflects:
- Pre‑Code candor about medical fallibility, professional jealousy, and institutional politics
- Cronin’s influence on the “idealistic doctor vs. the system” genre later seen in The Citadel
- Hollywood’s growing fascination with hospital settings as moral laboratories
- Fay Wray’s transition from horror icon to grounded dramatic performer
- Ralph Bellamy’s early shaping of the “earnest professional” archetype
It belongs to the same lineage as Men in White (1934) and Life Begins (1932), where hospitals become crucibles for character.
✝️ Catholic Moral Resonances
1. Vocation as Self‑Gift, Not Self‑Glory
Barclay’s arc exposes the temptation to treat vocation as personal achievement rather than service.
Insight:
A calling becomes holy only when it is ordered toward the good of others.
2. The Humility of Letting Go
Selby’s decline is painful, but he models the grace of surrender.
Insight:
There is sanctity in stepping aside when one’s gifts no longer serve the community.
3. The Nurse as Icon of Steadfast Charity
Anne embodies the corporal works of mercy — tending the sick with dignity and truth.
Insight:
Charity is not sentiment but disciplined, embodied love.
4. The Hospital as a School of Virtue
The ward reveals each character’s hidden motives.
Insight:
Crisis does not create character; it reveals it.
5. Redemption Through Responsibility
Barclay’s turning point comes when he accepts the weight of his choices.
Insight:
Conversion often begins when we finally admit the cost of our pride.
🍷 Hospitality Pairing
Drink: “The Surgeon’s Steady Hand”
A clean, precise, almost ascetic cocktail:
- Gin
- Dry vermouth
- A single expressed lemon peel
- Stirred, not shaken
Symbolism:
- Gin = clarity of purpose
- Vermouth = the complexity of human motives
- Lemon = the sharp truth that cuts through illusion
Serve in a chilled glass — the ritual of steadiness before decisive action.
Snack: Salted Crackers & Soft Cheese
Simple, nourishing, hospital‑adjacent but elevated.
Symbolism:
- Crackers = the plainness of duty
- Cheese = the mercy that softens judgment
Atmosphere:
Low light, clean lines, a table set with intentional simplicity — the aesthetic of a vocation reclaimed.
🪞 Reflection Prompt
Where has ambition overshadowed compassion in your own work?
What “ward” — literal or symbolic — is God using to reveal your motives?
And what act of humility today would restore the integrity of your vocation?
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