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Smoke in This Life and Not the Next
The $1 Cigar Edition
Some days a man doesn’t need a premium stick — he needs a $1 gas‑station cigar, the kind that burns uneven, tastes a little rough, and reminds him he’s alive.
A cheap smoke teaches what the great fire means: purification is easier now than later, gentler now than later, chosen now rather than imposed.
Bourbon:
A $10 bottle — Evan Williams Green, Old Crow, or whatever’s on the bottom shelf.
Not refined. Not complex. Just honest.
Together they preach the same sermon:
“Formation doesn’t require comfort. It requires willingness.”
✨ 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.
A $1 cigar and a cheap bourbon say the same thing in their own rough way:
Let the small fire teach you now,
so the great fire can lift you later.
APRIL 8 Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Judges, Chapter 6, Verse 23
The LORD answered
him: You are safe. Do not FEAR. You
shall not die.
Unlike
Gideon, whom this verse is about, most of us do not have an angel appear from
heaven to tell us that we will not die and to not be afraid. Yet, we have something greater than an angel here; we have
the Lord Jesus Christ telling us-Do not fear.
We
are blessed because we are the receivers of the apex of God’s graces through
Jesus Christ, His mother and the action of Divine Mercy. If you are afraid to start again or are discouraged
by failure it is because you do not understand you can do nothing without
Christ. Therefore, if you have sinned go to confession and receive His Body and
Blood: being renewed. I remember in 2006 when I and my wife Mary were blessed
with being able to make a trip to Israel. I was reflecting upon the grace I had
received. I was thanking the Lord for I had touched the spot on the earth where
He was born, and I had touched the spot where He had died, and I had touched
the spot where He had ascended into heaven. I was prideful and thought how
lucky I am. Then my Lord reminded me that a greater grace still awaits me and
everyone in the Holy Eucharist. Be honest, humble yourself and make a sincere
effort. Leave all else in His hands-saying: Jesus I Trust in You!
Pride
wants immediate success. Be brave as Gideon and renew your intentions, make a
resolution daily to do the will of God and seek to please Him.
Easter Wednesday Picnic Breakfast[1]
This Easter picnic is a
festive way to spend time with your family and watch the signs of new life in
nature, associated with the Resurrection.
"Come and
breakfast!" That is the invitation Christ gave to Peter and John when they
landed their great catch of fish, so mysteriously bestowed. They were elated
and humbled and weary. It must have been a comfort to find a fire waiting on
shore, a fish on it, and bread ready. To commemorate this Gospel of Easter
Wednesday, why not a picnic breakfast in our home, or, better, out of it?
A party at this hour can
be more fun than the usual afternoon-evening spreads, so hard on tired babies
and so short on mothers' nerves. By now you can smell and feel spring
throughout the land, even under the crusty layer of leftover snow. The voice of
the turtle may not be heard, but all the mittens are lost, and nobody cares. In
those sections of our country where spring has really arrived and the violets
are lying in wait to be discovered, this can be a picnic of sudden beautiful
surprises for everyone. Children who might never have noticed will be amazed
that their mother isn't as old as they thought. She even knows how to turn a
jump rope. If you live where winter hasn't yet given up the ghost, or if the
little ones are really too little to do more than curdle the atmosphere, a
picnic on the back porch (or basement, if you have that kind of basement) will
be just as exciting to the children. Scrambled eggs with hot ham or bacon in
buns wrapped in aluminum foil, individual boxes of dry cereal with companion
boxes of raisins, thermoses of cocoa or orange juice — whatever it is in your
house that makes a special breakfast should be on the menu. If we mothers are
to be catchers of (little) men, we must look to our lures! City families might
breakfast in a nearby park, even if it does shock the squirrels and pigeons.
They just have to learn we humans can be carefree too. And our explanations to
passers-by, openly curious at our cavorting, may be, for all we know, a chance
for spiritual seed-sowing. For apartment-dwellers, patio-less and too far from
a park, breakfast on the rooftop can be just as exhilarating as a penthouse
cocktail party. More so, since Christ is the Host, and the small talk is never
boring.
Divine Mercy Novena[2]
Sixth
Day - Today Bring Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little
Children.
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn
from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your
Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little
children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly
Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God;
God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent
abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out
a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father turn Your merciful gaze upon
meek and humble souls, and upon the souls of little children, who are enfolded
in the abode of the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the
closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and
reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the
love You bear these souls and by the delight you take in them: bless the whole
world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless
ages. Amen.
Novena for the Poor Souls[3]
O Mother most
merciful, pray for the souls in Purgatory!
PRAYER OF ST.
GERTRUDE THE GREAT O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of
Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world
today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory and for sinners everywhere— for
sinners in the Universal Church, for those in my own home and for those within
my family. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE
DYING O Most Merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy
most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, to wash in
Thy Most Precious Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their
agony and who will die today. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the
dying! Amen.
ON EVERY DAY OF
THE NOVENA V. O Lord, hear my prayer, R. And let my cry come unto Thee. O God,
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy
servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our devout
supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired, Who livest
and reignest world without end. Amen.
WEDNESDAY O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood of Thy divine Son Jesus that was shed in the streets of Jerusalem, whilst He carried on His sacred shoulders the heavy burden of the Cross, deliver the souls in Purgatory, and especially that one which is richest in merits in Thy sight, so that, having soon attained the high place in glory to which it is destined, it may praise Thee triumphantly and bless Thee forever. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
PRAYERS AND TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH
The Last Things[4]
The
last things are death, judgment, heaven and hell.
Death
is the separation of man's mortal body and immortal soul. It comes to all men
as a result of original sin. It is a temporary state, for at the end of the
world, all men shall rise again to be judged by Christ. Thus, the whole man,
body and soul, will be rewarded for the good or evil that he has done, body and
soul, in this life.
At
the moment of death, each human person is judged by God based on his
conduct in this life and goes immediately to his reward or punishment. Moreover,
at the end of the world, Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the
living and the dead. At that time, God's whole plan for the world shall be
revealed, and his mercy and justice demonstrated.
Heaven
is the eternal state of perfect happiness resulting from the face-to-face
vision of God, which is the reward of those who have served Him in this life.
Hell
is the eternal state of torment and despair which awaits those who, in this
life, have freely rejected God and the happiness which He offers.
Before
the end of the world, there will be an intermediate state called purgatory.
There, those who are bound for heaven, but whose love for God is still marred
by some imperfection, undergo a temporary period of purifying suffering. When
this purification is complete, they are fit to enter God's presence and are
admitted to the joys of heaven.
Dara’s
Corner Try “Danish Smørrebrød”
·
Phoenix
Home & Garden’s
Garden Tour
April 20
o
The
pages of PHOENIX’s sister publication come to life as patrons enjoy
exclusive access to a curated selection of the Valley’s most enchanting home
gardens during this annual self-guided tour. Attendees will also have the
unique opportunity to mingle with Phoenix Home & Garden’s editorial
staff as well as architects and designers featured in the magazine. VIP, 9
a.m.-5 p.m.; GA, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $85-$125, Various Valley locations, phgmag.com
·
30
Days with St. Joseph Day 20
·
Spirit
Hour: Loire
Valley Wine
·
Bucket List trip: Hokkaido
·
Soup
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Protection
of Traditional Marriage
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face
[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1032
[3]Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory Explained
Devil and the Deep (1932)
A fever‑bright psychological drama where jealousy becomes a spiritual sickness, authority collapses under its own weight, and a man discovers too late that the enemy he feared was the one he carried inside his own heart.
Sources: imdb.com
🎬 Production Snapshot
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Marion Gering
Release: 1932
Screenplay: Benn W. Levy (adaptation of the novel by Morris L. Ernst & Edna Ferber)
Stars: Charles Laughton (Cmdr. Charles Sturm), Tallulah Bankhead (Diana Sturm), Gary Cooper (Lt. Jaeckel), Cary Grant (Lt. Sempter)
Genre: Drama / Romance / Psychological Melodrama
Notable: One of the earliest films to showcase Charles Laughton’s volcanic intensity; features early performances by both Cooper and Grant; remembered for its claustrophobic submarine finale and its portrait of masculine authority gone spiritually blind.
🧭 Story Summary
Commander Charles Sturm rules his naval command—and his marriage—with a paranoia sharpened into certainty.
He sees betrayal everywhere.
He hears threats in every silence.
He believes his wife, Diana, is unfaithful long before she ever considers escape.
Diana, suffocating under Sturm’s suspicion, finds unexpected gentleness in Lt. Sempter—a man whose steadiness stands in stark contrast to her husband’s unraveling mind.
When Sturm discovers their connection, his jealousy detonates.
He orders Sempter transferred to a submarine—and then, in a fit of delusional vengeance, takes command of the vessel himself.
What follows is a descent into darkness:
a sealed metal coffin, a crew trapped under the sea, and a commander whose inner collapse becomes literal catastrophe.
As the submarine sinks, Sturm refuses rescue.
He chooses the grave he dug with his own fear.
Diana and Sempter survive—scarred, sobered, and freed from the tyranny of a man who mistook suspicion for strength.
🕰 Historical & Cultural Context
Released in 1932, the film reflects:
- Pre‑Code Hollywood’s fascination with psychological extremes and moral ambiguity
- A cultural anxiety about unstable leadership in the years between world wars
- Early cinematic experimentation with confined, pressure‑filled environments
- The rise of Charles Laughton as a new kind of actor—raw, volcanic, spiritually unsettling
- A shift from silent‑era melodrama to sound‑era psychological realism
It stands alongside films like Rain (1932) and The Most Dangerous Game (1932) as a portrait of human nature under pressure—where the real danger is not the environment but the soul.
✝️ Catholic Moral Resonances
1. Jealousy as a Spiritual Disease
Sturm’s downfall is not military error—it is interior rot.
He believes his imagination more than reality.
Insight:
When a man ceases to govern his interior life, he becomes governed by his fears.
2. Diana and the Dignity of the Oppressed Soul
Diana is not a temptress—she is a woman trying to breathe.
Her movement toward Sempter is not sin but survival.
Insight:
The human soul bends under tyranny long before it breaks.
3. Authority Without Humility Becomes Violence
Sturm’s command style is absolute, unquestioned, and brittle.
His authority collapses because it is rooted in fear, not service.
Insight:
Leadership without humility becomes idolatry of the self.
4. The Submarine as the Interior Chamber
The final act is a spiritual allegory:
a sealed heart, no light, no air, only pressure.
Insight:
A man who refuses truth eventually suffocates in the world he built to protect himself.
5. Sempter as the Restored Masculine Order
Calm, steady, self‑possessed—Sempter embodies the masculine clarity Sturm lost.
Insight:
True strength is not thunder but steadiness under pressure.
🍷 Hospitality Pairing
Drink: “The Deep Calm”
A dark, pressure‑tempered cocktail:
- Navy rum
- A touch of blackstrap molasses
- Fresh lime
- A whisper of sea salt
Symbolism:
- Rum = the depth of the human heart
- Molasses = the heaviness of jealousy
- Lime = the sharpness of truth cutting through delusion
- Sea salt = the cost of clarity
Serve in a low, heavy glass—something that feels like the hull of a submarine.
Snack: Salted Dark Chocolate
Simple, bitter, bracing.
Symbolism:
The bitterness of Sturm’s interior life,
the salt of tears,
and the dark sweetness of truth finally breaking through.
Atmosphere
Low light
A single candle
A quiet room
A sense of pressure and release
A reminder that the deepest battles are fought in the unseen places of the heart.
🪞 Reflection Prompt
Where has fear begun to shape your imagination—
turning shadows into threats
and silence into accusation?
Who in your life offers the steadiness you resist—
the Sempter‑voice calling you back to clarity?
And what “submarine” have you sealed yourself inside—
a place meant for protection
that has become a chamber of pressure
and a warning from God
to rise toward the surface again?
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