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Smoke in This Life and Not the Next
Freedom’s Whiskey & the Swisher Sweet Edition
Some days a man doesn’t need a premium stick — he needs a Swisher Sweet, the kind that burns uneven, tastes a little too sweet, and reminds him he’s choosing humility over polish.
A cheap smoke teaches what the great fire means: purification is easier now than later, gentler now than later, chosen now rather than imposed.
Whiskey:
A bottom‑shelf bottle named for Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms — speech, worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear — each one a secular echo of deeper Catholic truths:
- Speech: the courage to confess the truth
- Worship: the right to seek God freely
- Want: the dignity of every person
- Fear: the peace that comes from justice
Not refined. Not complex. Just honest.
Together they preach the same sermon:
“Freedom isn’t comfort. Freedom is purification.”
✨ Purgatory in the Divine Plan (Short, Sharp, True)
Purgatory is not God’s anger — it is His refusal to let a man enter heaven half‑healed.
It is where memory is cleaned, identity is clarified, and the soul finally sees its story the way God always saw it.
It is mercy finishing the job.
2 Maccabees 12:46 says it plainly:
“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”
The Church has always known: freedom requires fire.
A Swisher Sweet and a cheap whiskey say the same thing in their own rough way:
Let the small fire teach you now,
so the great fire can lift you later.
· Bucket List Trip: Exotic Trains India and….
· National Chicken Little Awareness Day
· Eating: Be nourished not overfed.
· Spirit hour: To Die For Cocktail
· Catholic Recipe: Herb Omelet I
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.
· According to Mary Agreda[2] in her visions it was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the approach of night that the Angel Gabriel approached and announced her as Mother of God and she gave her fiat.
· Today’s Menu is The Family Meal at Holy Thursday
Best Places to Visit in April
San Diego, California[3]
This month is a great time to visit San Diego as it’s much less crowded, there is still plenty of sun.
Most people flock to “Beach City” for family fun on the beaches. Mission Beach is a good swimming beach, with a boardwalk and rollercoaster, but I recommend checking out the tidal pools at La Jolla, when the tide is low, and snorkeling at La Jolla Cove, part of the Underwater Park.
If you’ve had too much sun, I would suggest heading for Balboa Park, where you would need at least a week to explore, taking in the 18 diverse museums or some cultural events. The Air and Space Museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian and has something for kids of all ages.
I would suggest tasting some Baja cuisine, dancing the night away in one of the nightclubs, or viewing one of the many shows on offer.
- Visitor’s Centre Address: 996 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, Phone: (619) 236-1242
My favorite highlights…
- Having fun at Belmont Park is filled with exciting rides and adrenaline-pumping rollercoasters.
- Catching one of San Diego’s best sunsets at La Jolla Cove, a perfect spot for Instagram able shots.
- Exploring the vibrant nightlife scene at Gaslamp Quarter, filled with bars, lounges, and music venues.
- San Diego (Southern California): Basilica Mission San Diego de Alcala
APRIL 9 Thursday
in the Octave of Easter or Easter Thursday
Appomattox Day
Judges, Chapter 6, Verse 27
So, Gideon took ten of his servants
and did as the LORD had commanded him. But he was too AFRAID of his family and of the townspeople to do it by day; he did
it at night.
Heed
the words of Saint John Paul the Great:
"Do not be
overcome by evil but overcome evil with good" (12:21). Evil is never defeated by evil;
once that road is taken, rather than
defeating evil, one will instead be defeated by evil.
Peace
is the outcome of a long and demanding battle which is only won when evil is
defeated by good. Flee what is evil
and hold fast to what is good (cf. Rom 12:9). Peace is a good to
be promoted with good: it is a good for individuals, for families, for
nations and for all humanity; yet it is one which needs to be maintained and
fostered by decisions and actions inspired by good. "Repay no one evil
for evil" (Rom 12:17). The one way out of the vicious circle of
requiting evil for evil is "Do not be overcome by evil but overcome
evil with good" (Rom 12:21). At its deepest level, evil is a
tragic rejection of the demands of love. Moral good, on the other hand, is
born of love, shows itself as love and is directed towards love. All this is
particularly evident to Christians, who know that their membership in the one
mystical Body of Christ sets them in a particular relationship not only with
the Lord but also with their brothers and sisters. The inner logic of Christian
love, which in the Gospel is the living source of moral goodness, leads even to
the love of one's enemies: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is
thirsty, give him something to drink" (Rom 12:20).[1]
Heed
the words of Saint John Paul the Great.
Copilot’s Take
Gideon’s nighttime obedience in Judges 6:27 is the perfect lens for this
moment. He obeys God while still afraid of his own people, revealing that fear
is not a failure—it is the battlefield where obedience is tested. The Catechism
calls this the “dramatic struggle between good and evil,” a struggle that
touches nations as much as individuals. When cease‑fires are fragile and
tensions remain high, the temptation is always the same: let fear dictate our
moral posture. Gideon shows that God begins renewal not with the fearless, but
with the faithful.
Appomattox Day offers a national parable of the same truth. On April 9,
1865, the United States faced a moment when victory could have easily become
humiliation and revenge. Instead, restraint prevailed. Mercy was chosen over
domination. That choice mirrors the Gospel’s own logic: peace is not the fruit
of triumph but of moral courage. The Beatitudes echo through that moment—Blessed
are the peacemakers—because peace requires a strength deeper than
grievance.
Saint John Paul II’s teaching cuts directly into the heart of today’s
anxieties. “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” His words
are not abstract; they are a warning about the spiritual physics of history.
Evil multiplies when it is met on its own terms. Retaliation feels righteous,
but it binds the retaliator to the very logic he seeks to defeat. In moments
when cease‑fires are negotiated or threatened, this teaching becomes even more
urgent: peace is not maintained by fear or force alone, but by decisions rooted
in moral good.
The Beatitudes provide the Christian strategy for confronting evil in
such moments. Poverty of spirit counters the pride that fuels conflict.
Meekness restrains the impulse to dominate. Mercy interrupts the cycle of
retaliation. Peacemaking becomes a vocation rather than a tactic. These are not
passive virtues; they are the only forces strong enough to break the spirals of
violence that can reignite even during a ceasefire. They are the weapons of the
Kingdom.
Easter Thursday reframes the entire landscape. The Risen Christ enters
the locked room of frightened disciples and speaks the one word the world
cannot manufacture: Peace. Not the peace of stalemate or temporary
pause, but the peace of a new creation. His victory over death is the final
proof that evil does not have the last move. The Christian confronts evil,
therefore, not by mirroring it but by contradicting it—by becoming a living
sign that fear does not rule the human heart.
Thus, Gideon’s obedience, Appomattox’s mercy, the Beatitudes’ courage,
and the Easter Octave’s peace converge into a single truth: evil is confronted
not by escalation, but by a people who refuse to surrender their souls to fear.
In a world watching cease‑fires with uncertainty, the Christian’s task is not
to control global events but to remain faithful within them—choosing the good
even when the night feels safer than the day. In that fidelity, the peace of
the Risen Christ becomes visible again in a world that desperately needs it.
Thursday in the Octave of Easter or
Easter Thursday[2] is a day for Commemoration of the
departed which is a Slavic tradition. Thursday of the Dead is described as a
universal day for visiting tombs, engaged in most diligently by townspeople,
followed by fellaheen ("peasants"), and then Bedouins. Women
would go to the cemetery before sunrise to pray for the departed and distribute
bread cakes known as kaʿak
al-asfar
("the yellow roll") and dried fruit to the poor, to children, and to
relatives. Children would also receive painted eggs, generally yellow in color.
The sharing of this tradition between Christians and Muslims is thought to date
back to at least the 12th century when Saladin urged Muslims to adopt Christian
customs in order to promote religious tolerance in the region.
o Have a Mass said for the departed;
offer your daily communion.
§
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.
Novena for the Poor
Souls[3]
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.
THURSDAY O Lord
God Almighty, I beseech Thee by the Precious Body and Blood of Thy divine Son
Jesus, which He Himself, on the night before His Passion, gave as meat and
drink to His beloved Apostles and bequeathed to His holy Church to be the
perpetual Sacrifice and life-giving nourishment of His faithful people, deliver
the souls in Purgatory, but most of all, that soul which was most devoted to
this Mystery of infinite love, in order that it may praise Thee therefore,
together with Thy divine Son and the Holy Spirit in Thy glory forever. Amen.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
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.
Faith
and Healing[4]
Shallow
minds are easily scandalized at the thought that, despite Christ Jesus' divine
mission and His heroic earnestness in fulfilling it, despite the limitless
possibilities of the Sacrifice of Calvary glorified in the power of the
Resurrection, even now so many human souls are still sick and diseased, even
dead in sin and seemingly lost in impenitence. But think for a moment of some
definite astounding force in nature, as for instance lightning, or even better,
of so simple a force as the stroke of a hammer or the approach of a lighted
match; notice the vast difference in the effects produced on a block of
granite, on a cake of ice, and on a keg of powder. Even so, the definite effect
of the same graces upon different individual souls depends on the receptivity
of each. Yet never doubt, the doors of the treasury of the merits and fruits of
Calvary are wide open; the fountains of the Savior are pouring out heavenly
waters to purify and cure and refresh souls; the invitation goes out to all:
"Come, eat My bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you.
All you that thirst come to the waters, and you that have no money, make haste,
buy, and eat come ye, buy wine and milk without money! Come! to experience the
virtue of the waters, and of the food, and of the medicine, and of the fire.
Come and drink lest you die of thirst! Come and eat lest your soul hunger and
starve! Come, approach the fire of My charity, to be stirred out of your
spiritual coldness and numbness!"
Anointing
of the Sick[5]
The Apostles must have been astonished at their
power to heal the bodies of the faithful while on the road when Christ sent
them out before His death.
Yet, the greatest power was to come after His death
and resurrection. Jesus made it perfectly clear that the power to forgive sins
is far greater than the power to heal. (Mk. 2:9) Jesus healed people of every
disease as a sign of the greater work of forgiveness of sins. For in the gospel
he states, “That you may know that the
Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sin.” (Mk 2:10) The physical
signs were there for the sake of a spiritual reality. “Is
anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of
the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name
of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick
person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will
be forgiven.”
(Jas. 5:14-15)
This
is the sacrament we know as the Anointing of the Sick. It must be noted that grave physical
suffering is often accompanied by a great spiritual trial. Sacramental
anointing gives us the grace we need to face our trials. Oils have been used
for millennia to convey the grace and health of God. Anointing helps us
transform physical suffering into something more deeply curative, something
truly releasing. Don’t wait! At the first sign of serious ailment seek the aid
of Christ through this sacrament.
Preparation
for Death[6]
All
Christian life is a preparation for death. We cannot predict the moment of our
passing, but we should be prepared for it both remotely and near term when our
death is imminent. It is best to prepare far in advance by making a lifetime
habit of confession and reception of the Holy Eucharist. However, if seriously
ill do not wait to take action. Confession must be made while we are still
thinking clearly and have the energy for the task, and we should make
arrangements to receive sacramental anointing. Do not rely on others to do this
for you. It is important for you, if you are able, to contact the hospital
chaplain or priest. Remember there is more after our death for the church
teaches us that after our death there is judgment, heaven and hell.
·
Do
not be a nilly willy and avoid thinking about death and we should remind
ourselves that death is a normal part of life and we should have a sense of
humor and it is not a license to make others miserable.
·
We
should try to get our affairs in order so to make it easier on others.
·
We
should choose a Catholic cemetery for the burial of our mortal remains, as a
sign of our belief in the resurrection of the body. Our flesh has been
divinized in baptism, made one the flesh of Jesus in Holy Communion, and so its
repose is a matter of some consequence.
·
We
should keep in mind that at our death as said by Cardinal Newman, “Life is
changed, not ended” and “All who ever lived still live.”
Divine
Mercy Novena[7]
Seventh
Day - Today Bring Me the Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify My Mercy.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive
into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who
particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are
mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and
adversities they go forward, confident in Your Mercy. These souls are united to
Jesus and carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged
severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their spirit, overflowing with joy, sings a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them, "I Myself will defend as My own glory, during their lifetime, and especially at the hour of their death, those souls who will venerate My fathomless mercy."
THIS WE BELIEVE
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
The
fuller account and the more prominent place given the Beatitudes in St. Matthew are quite in
accordance with the scope and the tendency of the First Gospel, in which the
spiritual character of the Messianic
kingdom — the paramount idea of the Beatitudes —
is consistently put forward, in sharp contrast with Jewish prejudices. The
very peculiar form in which Our Lord proposed His blessings make them,
perhaps, the only example of His sayings that may be styled poetical — the parallelism of thought
and expression, which is the most striking feature of Biblical poetry, being
unmistakably clear.
The
text of St. Matthew
runs as follows:
·
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
(Verse 3)
·
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the
land. (Verse 4)
·
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be
comforted. (Verse
5)
·
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall
have their fill. (Verse
6)
·
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy. (Verse 7)
·
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall
see God. (Verse 8)
·
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be
called the children of God.
(Verse 9)
· Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Purity
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
[2] Venerable Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God:
Complete Edition Containing all Four Volumes with Illustrations (p. 770).
Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition
[1]https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/peace/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20041216_xxxviii-world-day-for-peace.html
[3]Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory Explained
[5] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic Customs
and their biblical roots. Chap. 22. Anointing of the Sick.
[6] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic Customs
and their biblical roots. Chap. 39. Preparation for Death.
Abraham Lincoln (1930)
A solemn, myth‑forged American epic where a humble frontier boy becomes a national conscience, a president carries the weight of a fractured people, and a man discovers that leadership is not glory but sacrifice — the slow, steady offering of one’s life for the sake of a nation’s soul.
Sources: imdb.com
🎬 Production Snapshot
Studio: United Artists
Director: D. W. Griffith
Release: 1930
Screenplay: Stephen Vincent Benét (story), John W. Considine Jr.
Stars: Walter Huston (Abraham Lincoln), Una Merkel (Ann Rutledge), Kay Hammond (Mary Todd Lincoln), Ian Keith (John Wilkes Booth)
Genre: Biography / History / Early Sound Drama
Notable: Griffith’s first full‑length sound film; Walter Huston’s performance remains one of the earliest and most dignified portrayals of Lincoln; remembered for its reverent tone, sweeping Americana, and the director’s attempt to translate silent‑era grandeur into the new world of sound.
🧭 Story Summary
The film traces Lincoln’s life from log‑cabin poverty to the White House, framing his journey as a slow forging in the fires of loss, humor, humility, and moral clarity.
Young Lincoln grows through hardship — the death of his mother, the loss of Ann Rutledge, the weight of self‑education.
He rises not through ambition but through character.
As a lawyer, he becomes the defender of the voiceless.
As a husband, he navigates the storms of Mary Todd’s volatility.
As a statesman, he confronts a nation tearing itself apart.
The presidency becomes a crucible:
war, division, betrayal, and the unbearable burden of sending young men to die.
Yet Lincoln remains steady — a man who carries sorrow with gentleness and authority with reluctance.
The film ends with his assassination, framed not as political tragedy but as the martyrdom of a man who bore the nation’s wounds in his own heart.
🕰 Historical & Cultural Context
Released in 1930, the film reflects:
- America’s longing for unity during the Great Depression
- Early sound cinema’s reverence for national mythmaking
- Griffith’s attempt to redeem his reputation after Birth of a Nation
- A cultural hunger for moral leadership in an age of instability
- The transition from silent‑era theatricality to sound‑era realism
It stands alongside films like The Big Trail (1930) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) as part of Hollywood’s early exploration of national identity, sacrifice, and the cost of leadership.
✝️ Catholic Moral Resonances
1. Humility as the Foundation of Authority
Lincoln rises not by force but by service.
His greatness is rooted in self‑forgetfulness.
Insight:
Authority becomes holy when it is carried as a burden, not wielded as a weapon.
2. Suffering as Formation, Not Defeat
Loss shapes Lincoln — his mother, Ann Rutledge, the casualties of war.
He does not harden; he deepens.
Insight:
Suffering becomes sanctifying when it enlarges the heart instead of shrinking it.
3. The President as Intercessor
Lincoln carries the nation’s grief like a priest carries the prayers of the people.
He mediates between warring brothers.
Insight:
Leadership is intercession — standing in the breach for those who cannot stand for themselves.
4. The Civil War as a National Examination of Conscience
The film frames the war as a moral reckoning.
Lincoln becomes the conscience of a divided people.
Insight:
Nations, like souls, must confront their sins before they can be healed.
5. Martyrdom as the Seal of Mission
Lincoln’s death is portrayed as the final offering of a life spent in service.
Insight:
A vocation reaches its fullness when a man gives everything he has for the good of others.
🍷 Hospitality Pairing
Drink: “The Frontier Ember”
A warm, steadying drink:
- Bourbon
- A touch of maple
- A drop of smoke
- Orange peel
Symbolism:
Bourbon = frontier strength
Maple = Lincoln’s gentleness
Smoke = the cost of leadership
Orange = the light he carried into dark times
Serve in a simple, heavy glass — something that feels like a log cabin table.
Snack: Cornbread with Honey
Humble, warm, comforting.
Symbolism:
Cornbread = Lincoln’s roots
Honey = the sweetness of mercy in a bitter age
Atmosphere:
Warm lamplight
A wooden table
A quiet room
A sense of reverence and reflection
A reminder that greatness is forged in simplicity, sorrow, and steadfastness.
🪞 Reflection Prompt
Where is leadership in your life asking for humility rather than control?
What sorrow has shaped you into someone deeper, not harder?
And what part of your vocation — fatherhood, work, faith, service — is calling you to stand in the breach with Lincoln’s steadiness, carrying others’ burdens with courage and gentleness?
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