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Smoke in This Life and Not the Next
Wed, Apr 15 — Tax Day Follow‑Up: The Earthly Hell Edition
Pick your smoke.
Pick your drink.
On Tax Day, that’s not luxury — it’s survival.
A cheap cigar and a stiff pour remind a man that some fires in this life are man‑made, bureaucratic, and grinding.
If there’s an earthly hell, it’s the paperwork, the penalties, the forms, the deadlines, and the feeling that the system is always one step ahead of you.
But even this has something to teach.
✨ Purgatory in the Divine Plan (Short, Sharp, True)
Although faith tells us nothing certain about the location of Purgatory, the most common and traditional opinion places it in the depths of the earth, near the realm of the damned — not because the souls are lost, but because the imagery fits the weight of purification.
Tax Day feels like a faint echo of that descent:
a reminder that burdens, debts, and obligations must be faced, not ignored.
But unlike the IRS, Purgatory is mercy, not bureaucracy.
Its fire is cleansing, not punitive.
Its end is joy, not exhaustion.
A cheap cigar and a cheap whiskey say it in their own rough way:
If you can face the earthly hell of April 15,
you can face the purifying fire that leads to Heaven.
TAX DAY
Is Tax the tool the 1 percenter's use to control the Masses?
Copilot's Take
Tax Day always exposes the quiet imbalance of the world. The powerful shape the system; the ordinary carry it. The wealthy move money with a signature; the barely‑making‑it person counts dollars with trembling precision. Yet Scripture and history agree on this: God sees the weight each person carries, and He measures justice not by what you owe, but by what you endure with integrity. The world may be tilted, but the soul can stand upright.
For the one living close to the edge, today is not a day for shame. It is a day for clarity. You are not failing — you are surviving a structure never built for your good. Your response is simple and strong: keep your dignity in the small things, stay awake without burning yourself in anger, and refuse to let scarcity steal your voice. The wealthy may influence the rules, but the poor reveal the truth. And truth, lived quietly and stubbornly, is its own form of power.
Hope’s Corner Try Kohlrabi
· Bucket List trip: Fish Tail Lodge, Nepal
· Spirit Hour: St. Damien Cocktail
· 30 Days with St. Joseph Day 28
· Soup
APRIL 15 Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
Tax Day
Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them in, but without force, because they were AFRAID of being stoned by the people.
The apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin for trial. These temple priests which were instrumental in causing the crucifixion of Christ were now enflamed with jealousy over the apostles, who by the resurrection of Christ no longer feared death or taxes. The people began to believe, and the world was never the same.
The apostles after their release immediately resumed public teaching, they rendered unto God what was God’s.
The apostles filled with the Holy Spirit were not afraid anymore. They practiced obedience, commitment, healthy relationships, and faith. They had generous hearts.
Building Generosity into your life[1]
Effective leaders gather for others then give it away. This is God’s economy which is radically different. By releasing our grasp and not clinging to our possessions we become more like Him who had nothing; the one who gave the only resource He had--Himself.
Building Generosity
1. Be grateful for whatever you have.
2. Put people first.
3. Don’t allow greed to control you.
4. Regard money as a resource.
5. Develop the habit of giving.
“I now pray, not for more of this world’s goods and greater blessings, but to be worthy of that which I already have.”
Napoleon
Hill[2]
Jesus & Taxes?[3]
1. Criminal Charges
What charges were
made against Jesus the Christ?
"They began to accuse him, saying, "We found this
man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that
he himself is Christ, a king." - Luke 23:2
Depending on which
Bible translation you read, there were two or three charges made against Jesus.
The tax trial of Jesus•
Charge 1: "perverting the nation" pervert: to
turn upside down, overturn, overthrow. Source: LawyerIntl.com
Charge 2: "forbidding paying taxes to Caesar"
forbid: to command [someone] not to. Source: OneLook
Dictionary
Charge 3: "saying that he himself is Christ, a
king."
·
Christ: messiah, the
expected king and deliverer. Source: Merriam-Webster
·
Christ: The Anointed;
Savior of the World; Source: Webster's 1828 Dictionary
·
King of the Jews?
During trial, Pilate, the judge, asked Jesus "Are you king of the
Jews?"
·
Jesus was a tax
protester. Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world." - John
18:36
So, is there any
evidence for charges of a tax crime?
Was Jesus really a tax protester ... perverting the nation by leading a tax rebellion?
Tax fact: Jesus had a trial for tax crimes ... where he was
charged with "perverting" or "subverting the nation", and
"forbidding paying taxes".
HOW DO WE EXPLAIN Jesus’s death?
The answer according to Bill O’Reilly is
simple: big-government Jews and Roman taxes.[4]
Copilot’s Take
The apostles show that the world changes when men
stop fearing loss. Acts 5 is not a story about religious professionals versus
street preachers; it is a story about two economies colliding. The Sanhedrin
clings to power, reputation, and control. The apostles cling to nothing but
Christ. One group fears the crowd; the other fears God. One group protects its
position; the other proclaims the Resurrection. Tax Day exposes the same divide
in us: whether we live by fear or by freedom.
The charges against Jesus—subverting the nation,
forbidding taxes, claiming kingship—were the state’s attempt to criminalize a
man who could not be manipulated. He did not forbid taxes; He forbade idolatry.
He did not pervert the nation; He purified it. He did not overthrow Caesar; He
unmasked him. His death was not caused by economics but by the world’s
inability to tolerate a king who cannot be bought, bribed, or intimidated. “My
kingdom is not of this world” was not a retreat; it was a verdict.
The apostles, filled with the Spirit, lived that
verdict publicly. They rendered unto Caesar what belonged to Caesar, but they
rendered unto God what Caesar could never touch: obedience, courage, witness,
and generosity. Their freedom came from releasing their grasp—on possessions,
on safety, on reputation—and becoming like the One who gave the only resource
He had: Himself. This is the Catechism’s pattern for confronting evil:
fortitude, truth, and generosity lived without fear.
Tax Day becomes a spiritual mirror. Gratitude breaks
the illusion of scarcity. Putting people first dethrones money. Refusing greed
exposes its spiritual roots. Treating money as a resource—not a master—restores
sanity. And giving becomes the daily practice that trains the heart to trust
God more than the ledger. Napoleon Hill’s prayer captures the apostolic
posture: not for more goods, but to be worthy of what we already have.
The world changes when men stop fearing loss. Christ did. The apostles did. Tax Day invites us to join them.
Bible in a
year Day 285 Story
of Hanukkah
In today's reading from 1 Maccabees, we hear about the
victory of Judas Maccabeus, which is also the story of Hanukkah. In Sirach, Fr.
Mike points out that chasing fame and glory in this world are not worth our
time, because they will all fade away after we are gone. The readings are 1
Maccabees 4, Sirach 10-12, and Proverbs 22:9-12.
Tax Day (Taxes Due)[5]
Tax
Day marks the last day to file income taxes in the United States. The
history of US Income Tax dates back to the Civil War and the Revenue Act of
1861. This tax was imposed to help pay the costs of the war. After
several repeals, new taxes, and subsequent repeals, the 16th Amendment to the
US Constitution was ratified and went into law in 1913. This established
the right of Congress to impose a Federal Income tax. The Income Tax remains
the primary way that the US Government finances itself. To ensure that all
monies due for the prior year are paid, a Tax Day was created. All US taxpayers
are required to file taxes based on prior year’s earnings by this date.
Traditionally this date has been on April 15 of each year. If this
day falls on a weekend, the due date is extended to the following Monday.
This date is also impacted by the Emancipation Day Holiday in Washington
DC.
Tax
Day (Taxes Due) Facts & Quotes
.
·
In
1913, the original US income tax rates were 1% for incomes over $3,000; 6% for
incomes over $500,000.
·
During
World War I, around 1918, the highest income tax rate was over 77%.
·
The
power of taxing people and their property is essential to the very existence of
government. - James Madison, U.S. President
· A tax loophole is something that benefits the other guy. If it benefits you, it is tax reform. - Russell B. Long, U.S. Senator
Tax Day (Taxes Due) Top Events and Things to Do
·
Be
sure to mail your Tax Return before the midnight of the designated Tax Day.
·
File
for an extension before midnight, if needed.
·
Visit
Office Depot and shred your old documents for Free.
·
Take
advantage of Tax Day Freebies at local restaurants.
·
Watch
a movie that deals with taxes and the consequences of unpaid taxes. Our
picks: Stranger Than Fiction (2006), Catch Me If You Can (2012), The
Firm (1993), The Mating Game (1959)
·
Wine about your Taxes
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
Morning Offering[6]
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you
my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of
your Sacred Heart in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the
world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all
Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.
Amen.
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible.
[2] Napoleon Hill, Outwitting the Devil.
Only Yesterday (1933)
A pre‑Code melodrama where memory becomes vocation, suffering becomes liturgy, and a woman’s hidden fidelity becomes the quiet moral center of a world that forgot her.
💬 Tax Day Reflection Comment
Why we watch this film on April 15
Mary Lane’s story is the perfect companion for Tax Day because both reveal the same truth:
the world often overlooks the people who carry the heaviest burdens.
Just as Mary’s love, labor, and sacrifice went unseen by the man who shaped her life, the economic weight carried by ordinary Americans is often invisible to those who benefit most from the system. Watching Only Yesterday on April 15 becomes a quiet act of solidarity — a reminder that hidden sacrifices matter, that unseen endurance is holy, and that God keeps perfect account of every burden carried in silence.
🎬 Production Snapshot
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: John M. Stahl
Release: 1933
Screenplay: William Hurlbut, George O’Neil, Arthur Richman
Based on: Letter from an Unknown Woman by Stefan Zweig (uncredited)
Stars: Margaret Sullavan (Mary Lane), John Boles (James Stanton Emerson), Edna May Oliver
Genre: Pre‑Code Melodrama / Romantic Tragedy
Notable: Sullavan’s film debut; one of the earliest American adaptations of Zweig’s psychological style; a rare, quiet gem of early‑30s Hollywood.
🧭 Story Summary
The film opens on October 29, 1929 — the day the stock market collapses.
James Stanton Emerson (John Boles), financially ruined and spiritually hollow, retreats to his office intending to end his life. On his desk lies a long letter from a woman he cannot remember.
The letter becomes the film.
Mary Lane (Margaret Sullavan)
A shy young woman who once shared a single night with Emerson before he left for war. He forgot her; she never forgot him. She bore his child, raised him alone, and lived a life shaped by a love he never acknowledged.
Emerson
Reads the letter in shock as Mary recounts her devotion, her loneliness, her courage, and the son he never knew.
The narrative unfolds as a confession, a testimony, and a farewell — a woman’s entire interior life revealed only after her death. The final revelation forces Emerson into a moral reckoning: the greatest love of his life was one he never recognized.
The film closes not with melodrama but with judgment and grace — the weight of a forgotten life finally landing where it belongs.
🕰 Historical & Cultural Context
- A quintessential pre‑Code film: frank about desire, abandonment, and single motherhood.
- Released during the Great Depression, when themes of regret and economic collapse felt painfully real.
- One of Hollywood’s earliest attempts at European psychological melodrama.
- Sullavan’s debut established her as the screen’s patron saint of luminous sorrow.
✝️ Catholic Moral Resonances
Hidden Sacrifice as Holiness
Mary’s life is a portrait of unrecognized love.
Insight: God sees the fidelity the world forgets.
Memory as Moral Reckoning
Emerson’s crisis is not financial but spiritual.
Insight: Grace often arrives as a letter we did not expect.
The Dignity of the Unseen
Mary’s suffering is quiet, unpublic, transformative.
Insight: The hidden life can be the holiest life.
The Child as Redemption
Her son becomes the living fruit of a love that seemed wasted.
Insight: God brings meaning from what feels forgotten.
🍷 Hospitality Pairing
Drink: “The Yesterday Letter”
A soft, contemplative drink for a film built on memory:
- Black tea
- Honey
- Warm milk
- A drop of vanilla
Symbolism:
Tea = reflection
Honey = sweetness preserved through sorrow
Milk = gentleness in hardship
Vanilla = the lingering fragrance of remembered love
Serve in a delicate cup — something that feels like it could have belonged to Mary.
Snack: Tea Biscuits & Apricot Jam
Simple, tender, European‑leaning — a nod to Zweig’s Austrian origins.
Symbolism:
Biscuits = the fragility of human hopes
Apricot = the bright note of love that outlasts regret
Atmosphere:
Dim lights, a quiet room, the sense of reading a letter meant only for you.
🪞 Reflection Prompt
Whose unseen sacrifices have shaped your life?
What forgotten kindness or hidden love deserves to be remembered?
And what letter — literal or symbolic — might God be placing before you today?
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