Thursday, May 28, 2026
Eid al-Adha[1]
Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى) commemorates Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice
everything for God, including his son, Ismael. God became impressed with
Abraham's sincerity and gave him a ram to sacrifice instead. For that
reason, Muslims who can afford to do so also sacrifice an animal on any one of
the three days of Eid al-Adha. A third of the meat is kept, a third is
shared with family members, and a third is given away to needy people. Eid
al-Adha is a time of sacrifice for Muslims.
Eid Al-Adha Facts
Unlike regular
prayers, prayers for Eid al-Adha takes place in any large, open field.
There Muslims from many mosques congregate together. Usually,
mosques collaborate together to find a field that is convenient for everyone to
go to. In the United States, Eid prayers often occur in parks.
Festivities begin
with a prayer service, followed by a brief sermon on the morning of the first
day. During the prayer, Muslims recite verses from the Quran, lead by an
Imam, prostrate to God, and send their peace to Muhammad and Abraham.
Since this festival
occurs immediately after the Day of Arafah, many of those who go to pilgrimage
celebrate it in Mina (Saudi Arabia), where thousands of animals are slaughtered
for sacrifice.
It is customary for
Muslims perform a ritual body washing shower, called "ghusl," before
walking to the place of prayers. This is in accordance with the tradition
of the Prophet Muhammad.
Eid al-Adha Top Events and Things to Do
Often, a large party
is thrown by Muslims on one of the three days of Eid al-Adha. Meat from
slaughtered animals is served.
It is customary for
Muslim men who have lost loved ones visit graveyards on Eid al-Adha.
It is Islamic
tradition to wear your most beautiful clothes on the first day of Eid al-Adha.
A few days before Eid al-Adha, Muslim’s shop for their new Eid clothes.
Merchants in Islamic countries often hold their biggest sales before Eid
al-Adha.
As Christian’s let us learn to sacrifice
everything for God, like the Muslims. Check out Patrolman Fraternity of St. Michael
Smoke in This Life and Not the Next
Thu, May 28 – Thursday Reflection
Virtue: Renewal & Simplicity
Cigar: Connecticut — clean, focused
Bourbon: Peerless Small Batch — crisp, purposeful
Line: “What clutter must I release?”
Purgatory is not a threat; it is a mercy.
A place where God finishes what we refused to finish.
A fire that heals, not destroys.
But the old images of souls in flame still preach a hard truth:
holiness is not automatic,
purification is not optional,
and the time to cooperate with grace is now.
A man who wants a simple soul must practice a simple discipline:
examine his conscience regularly,
confess without delay,
do penance with purpose,
and stay close to the Eucharistic fire that burns without consuming.
This is the best preparation for the moment when we leave this world
and stand before the Lord who will ask for an account —
not to shame us,
but to complete us.
Release the clutter now.
Let grace do its work while grace is still offered.
MAY 28 Thursday after Pentecost
Saint Bernard
2 Samuel, Chapter 12, Verse 26-28
Absalom then said, “If not you,
then please let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should
he go with you?” But at Absalom’s
urging, the king sent Amnon and with him all his other sons. Absalom prepared a
banquet fit for a king. But Absalom had instructed
his attendants: “Now watch! When Amnon is merry with wine and I say to you,
‘Kill Amnon,’ put him to death. Do not be AFRAID,
for it is I who order you to do it. Be strong and act like warriors.”
David’s family life after the murder of Uriah reads like a mafia tale (or politics as usual) with David being the Don and all his son’s vying for power.
Amnon was the heir-apparent to
David's throne; Amnon though is best remembered for the rape of his half-sister
Tamar, daughter of David with Maachah. Despite the biblical prohibition on
sexual relations between half-brothers and sisters, Amnon had an overwhelming
desire for her. He acted on advice from his cousin, Jonadab
the son of Shimeah, David's brother, to lure Tamar into his quarters by
pretending to be sick and desiring her to cook a special meal for him. While in
his quarters, and ignoring her protests, he raped her, and then expelled her
from his house. King David was angry about the incident, but could not bring
himself to punish his eldest son, while Absalom,
Amnon's half-brother and Tamar's full brother, nursed a bitter grudge against
Amnon for the rape of his sister. Two years later, to avenge Tamar, Absalom
invited all of David's sons to a feast, and then had his servants kill Amnon
after he had become drunk with wine.[1]
David’s
sin had found him out. After he killed Uriah, it was like killing his own self
and now he was not holding his children accountable. They became monsters.
David’s youthful heart of gratitude and love for God was sorely wounded. David
never regained the law of the Sacrifice. Yet, from David’s line comes Jesus
Christ; His sacrifice saves us all and you can, “Stand erect and raise your
heads because your redemption is at hand.” (Lk. 21:28)
Copilot’s
Take
David’s
fall shows how a parent’s private sin becomes a public wound in the home. Once
he carried guilt for Uriah’s death, something in him softened where it should
have stayed firm. The man who once ran toward giants now shrank from
confronting the evil growing under his own roof. The Catechism teaches that sin
first disfigures the heart, then distorts relationships, and David’s silence
toward Amnon is the clearest proof. He was angry, but he would not act. A
father who cannot correct his child is already losing him.
Amnon’s
assault on Tamar demanded justice, clarity, and decisive leadership. Instead,
David’s passivity left Tamar unprotected and Absalom unrestrained. Parents
today fall into the same trap when they mistake avoidance for gentleness or
surrender for love. The CCC insists that parents have a grave duty to form and
correct their children, not merely to comfort them. When discipline disappears,
disorder takes its place. When a parent refuses to confront sin, the child
learns that sin has no consequences. This is why I often return to the
principles laid out in Raising
Children Who Can Stand in the World reminder that formation is an act
of love, not an act of severity.
Absalom
stepped into the vacuum David created, but he did so with vengeance rather than
virtue. His counterfeit courage—“Do not be afraid… act like warriors”—is the
kind of strength the world admires but the Gospel rejects. True fortitude is
the courage to confront evil early, clearly, and with love. Parents need that
courage more than ever. It is easier to let things slide, easier to hope a
child will “grow out of it,” easier to avoid conflict. But the easy path is the
one that destroyed David’s house.
The Catechism warns about “structures of sin,” and David’s family becomes a living example. When a father refuses to lead, the loudest child becomes the leader. When a mother refuses to correct, the most wounded child becomes the judge.
When parents retreat, chaos advances. This is how families fracture. This is how generations lose their way. This is how a kingdom collapses from the inside out.
Yet
the story does not end with David’s failure. From his broken line comes Christ,
the Son who confronts evil without becoming evil, who disciplines without
cruelty, who restores what sin destroys. Where David lost the law of sacrifice,
Christ restores it. Where David’s sons devoured one another, Christ makes us
sons who are healed, disciplined, and redeemed. His command stands: stand
erect, raise your head, your redemption is near—not because the household is
perfect, but because the Father has returned to the battlefield.
Parents
today must reclaim what David surrendered. They must confront evil in their
homes with clarity and charity. They must discipline before sin metastasizes.
They must protect the innocent and form the guilty. They must lead with a heart
purified by repentance. This is the work of kings. This is the work of mothers
and fathers. And Christ gives the strength to do it.
Thursday after Pentecost[2]
On the first Thursday after Pentecost, the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest is observed on the particular calendars in Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Czech Republic and England and Wales. Approval for this feast was first granted by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 1987. In 2012 the Congregation sent a letter to all conferences of bishops, offering the feast to be inscribed in their respective liturgical calendars if they ask for it.
Mass for Jesus Christ Eternal High Priest[3]
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
COLLECT
O God,
who for your glory and the salvation of the human race willed to establish
Christ as the eternal High Priest, grant that the people he has gained for you
by his Blood, through their participation in his memorial, may experience the
power of his Cross and Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you.
Genesis 22:9–18
The sacrifice of
Abraham, our father in faith.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Then Abraham put forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now, I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So, Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’ And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.’
Gospel Matthew 26:36-42
My soul is sorrowful
unto death.
Jesus went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I go yonder and pray.’ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.’ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, thy will be done.’ The Gospel of the Lord.
Which are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? They are the twelve following:
1. Charity.
2.
Joy.
3. Peace.
4. Patience.
5. Benignity.
6. Goodness.
7. Longsuffering.
8. Mildness.
9. Faith.
10. Modesty.
11.
Continency.
12.
Chastity.
These fruits
should be visible in the Christian, for thereby men shall know that the Holy
Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known by its fruit.
Notice I have placed
the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in stairstep fashion so we may reflect on
them seeing that by concentrating on each step of our growth in the spirit we
may progress closer and closer to our heavenly Father. Today we will be
focusing on the fourth step which is faith.
St. Bernard of Montjoux-Patron of Mountaineers[4]
Historically May 28th is the feast of St. Bernard of Montjoux, an Italian churchman, founder of the Alpine hospices of Saint Bernard. He is most famous for the hospices he built on the summits of passes over the Alps. Many pilgrims from France and Germany would travel over the Alps on their way to Rome, but it was always a possibility that one would die from freezing along the way. In the 9th century a system of hospices had been attempted but had lapsed long before Bernard's time. Bernard's hospices in the 11th century were placed under the care of clerics and laymen and were well equipped for the reception of all travelers. A now-famous breed of dogs, known for its endurance in high altitude and cold, was named in honor of this saint. Bernard's life has been the focus of many romantic plays and stories.
Many of us may remember childhood stories of St. Bernard’s dogs coming to the rescue of stranded or injured victims on Alpine slopes. The dogs almost always seem to have a cask of Brandy attached to their collars and when the victims were revived by a good drink the dogs would lead them to safety.
Things
to Do
·
Read
History of the Grand St Bernard pass for background.
·
If
you like dogs, you might find this history of the Saint Bernard Dog interesting.
Apostolic Exhortation[5]
Veneremur Cernui – Down in Adoration
Falling
of The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted,
Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My
beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Part II
II. Faith perceives what our senses
fail to grasp.
49. Yet, faith can penetrate through
the veil of our senses to help us see that every Holy Mass is truly an
encounter with Jesus Christ. When Scripture is proclaimed and preached, it is
Christ Himself who is speaking. To receive all these benefits and transforming
effects of Holy Communion, faith is the first essential requirement.
50. In the Discourse on the Bread of
Life in Chapter 6 of the Gospel of Saint John, many of the disciples reacted to
Jesus’ claim by saying, “this teaching is difficult. Who can accept it?” After
Jesus watched most of His disciples abandon Him, He turned to the Twelve
apostles and asked, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter responded with faith,
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to
believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:68). This teaching was
not any easier for Peter. It would only become fathomable a year later for
Peter and the other Apostles during the Last Supper when Jesus would take bread
and wine into His hands, and totally change them into Himself as He said, “This
is my body: take and eat,” and “This is the chalice of my blood: take and
drink.” Peter knew that Jesus had the words of eternal life. He put his whole
faith in Jesus’ words. He believed in Jesus’ difficult teaching on the
Eucharist precisely because he believed in his Lord and God, basing his entire
existence in the words of Jesus.
51. Today, in our own particular situation and circumstance, Jesus also turns to us and asks the same question: “Do you also want to leave?”.
Like the disciples in Capernaum, many in our times have wandered spiritually away from Jesus in the Eucharist. Many Catholics have wandered away from the practice of Sunday Mass, focusing more on work, sports, sleep, or entertainment rather than the Lord. There are also those who are physically there but not with their faith. They may come to Mass but do not receive Jesus with faith, love, and reverence because they think that they are only receiving a symbol rather than God Himself who died for them. There are those who physically come to Mass, but their hearts cannot wait to leave Jesus’ presence. Indeed, the Eucharist is hard to believe! Thus, it is important for us to have patience and compassion for those whose faith is weak. Nevertheless, the call to faith is urgent.
Bible in a year Day 327 Origin
of the Diaconate
Fr. Mike draws our attention to
the cultural division present in the early Church and the origin of the
ordination to the diaconate. He also discusses Paul’s frustration with those
who didn’t recognize Jesus as the Christ and offers consolation to those who
experience this in the hearts and minds of those close to them, as Paul did.
Today’s readings are Acts 6, Romans 9-10, and Proverbs 27:10-12.
Around the Corner
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house they saw the
child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then
they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh.
(Matthew 2:10-11)
o Rachel-When
I was but a child, I suffered a grand-mal seizure that nearly killed me. I was
diagnosed with a brain tumor. My Dad immediately called Father Paul Wolff who
was General Patton's Belgian Guide and asked for prays at the shrine of our
Lady of Beauraing. A week
later the brain tumor disappeared and there was still a small scar left on a
portion of my brain, and I continued to have seizures, but medicine kept it
under control for many years. Eventually through the work of a doctor I
received a world class surgical procedure that completely healed me of
seizures, from the world-famous Barrow Neurological Institute. Today I work
there.
·
In honor of St.
Bernard hike a mountain.
o Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300, Phoenix Mountain
Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona, United States | AllTrails.com
§ Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 Hard• Phoenix Mountain Preserve
§ Check
out this 2.3-mile out-and-back trail near Phoenix, Arizona. Generally
considered a challenging route. This is a very popular area for hiking, so
you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. The best times to visit
this trail are October through May. You'll need to leave pups at home — dogs
aren't allowed on this trail.
·
Fairness is
giving animals their due too this is “Responsible Animal Guardian Month”.
·
After dinner have a brandy in honor of St.
Bernard and his dog.
·
do a personal eucharistic stations
of the cross.
·
Mary’s Month-Do a family Rosary
·
Bucket
List: Military Hop-Azores
- Bucket List Trip: The Alps
·
After the hike have a BBQ
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[6] 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.
Dinner Menu
Best Places to
Visit in may-Las Vegas and Grand Canyon
Often referred to as the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’, Las Vegas is the ultimate playground of adventures, cuisines, and nightlife scenes, and when you visit, you’ll see why!
While
Sin City sees an influx of visitors during winters and scorching summers, I
honestly think the best time to visit the city is from March to this month and
from September to November.
It’s
still one of the warmest states to visit this month, but temperatures are much
more manageable and hover around 89.6 degrees during the day.
You’ll
find various events, hot (but not unbearable) daily temperatures, and fewer
crowds. Nearby the city is the Grand Canyon, and I highly suggest a visit
here—it’s a one-in-a-lifetime experience!
Spring
and fall make for an ideal trip to the canyon for hiking, skywalking, and
discovering the wildflower blooms, but I would also highly recommend just
enjoying the scenic vistas.
Visitors Center Address: 495 S. Main St.
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Average temperatures –89.6 degrees
My
highlights…
Capturing an unbelievable Instagrammable
shot overlooking the Grand Canyon after hiking around the area.
Checking out a fun show at MGM Grand.
In
honor of Joan of Arc tomorrow May 30
·
Go
to Mass at Joan of Arc Church
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters
of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Authentic Feminism
·
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[3]https://catholicsstrivingforholiness.org/thursday-after-pentecost-feast-of-jesus-christ-eternal-and-high-priest-mass-prayers-and-readings/
[6] Venerable Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God:
Complete Edition Containing all Four Volumes with Illustrations (p. 770).
Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition
HIS DOUBLE LIFE (1933)
Roland Young • Lillian Gish • Montagu Love
Directed by Arthur Hopkins
A gentle comedy of identity and grace,
His Double Life is the story of a man who flees the world
and discovers, to his surprise, that love finds him anyway.
It is not a farce.
It is a meditation — on anonymity, humility, and the strange mercy of being misidentified by life at the very moment you are too tired to correct it.
It is the story of a man who hides from the world
and is healed by the one person who sees him without knowing who he is.
1. Production & Historical Setting
A Pre‑Code Quiet Gem
Released in 1933, the film sits in that brief, fertile window before the Production Code hardened.
Its humor is soft, its morality humane, its tone unmistakably British despite being an American production.
Arthur Hopkins’ Theatrical Touch
Hopkins directs with:
- restrained staging
- intimate interiors
- a focus on character over spectacle
- a willingness to let silence speak
The film feels like a chamber play — modest, warm, and deeply human.
Gish & Young: A Perfect Mismatch That Fits
- Roland Young brings his trademark diffident charm, the man who apologizes for breathing.
- Lillian Gish, serene and luminous, gives Alice Chalice a dignity that could have been played for laughs but instead becomes the film’s moral center.
Their chemistry is not romantic fire.
It is companionship — the rarest form of love.
2. Story Summary
A Man Buried Alive by Fame
Priam Farrel, England’s most celebrated painter, is a recluse who hates attention.
When his valet Henry Leek dies suddenly, a doctor mistakes the body for Farrel — and the world mourns the “dead” artist.
Farrel, relieved, slips quietly into Leek’s identity.
A Widow, A Mistaken Match, A New Life
Alice Chalice, a practical widow who had been corresponding with Leek through a matrimonial agency, meets Farrel believing he is her intended.
He does not correct her.
They marry.
They settle into a modest country life.
And for the first time, Farrel tastes peace.
But Truth Has a Way of Surfacing
When Farrel’s paintings begin circulating, his old agent recognizes the hand behind them.
The world comes knocking.
The quiet life trembles.
The question becomes not “Who is he?”
but “Who does he want to be?”
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
Farrel’s escape from fame is not cowardice.
It is a man exhausted by being seen for the wrong reasons.
The film suggests that anonymity can be a kind of grace —
a place where the soul can breathe again.
B. Love Without Illusion
Alice loves the man she thinks is Henry Leek.
But what she truly loves is his gentleness, his awkward sincerity, his need for a home.
She loves the truth of him
before she knows the facts of him.
C. Identity as Vocation, Not Label
Farrel’s crisis is not “Who am I legally?”
but “Who am I allowed to be?”
The film quietly argues that identity is not a public claim
but a private calling.
D. The Comedy of Human Pretension
The art world, the newspapers, the courts — all are shown as absurdly confident in their own judgments.
Meanwhile the only person who sees clearly
is the woman who never cared about his fame.
E. The Humility That Heals
Farrel’s transformation is not dramatic.
It is domestic.
He becomes whole not through triumph
but through tenderness.
4. Hospitality Pairing — The Hidden Life
Cigar: A mild Connecticut shade — quiet, contemplative, unshowy.
Drink: A soft English milk tea or a gentle Irish whiskey — something that warms rather than announces itself.
Plate: Buttered toast, a simple soup, the kind of meal that tastes like rest.
Atmosphere: A small lamp, a quiet room, the sense of stepping out of the public square and into a life that asks nothing of you but presence.
5. Reflection Prompts
- Where in my life am I exhausted by being seen rather than known.
- What identity have I inherited that no longer fits the truth of my soul.
- Who loves me for my essence rather than my reputation.
- What quiet life have I been too afraid to choose.
- Where is God inviting me to step out of the world’s name for me
and into His.
Comments
Post a Comment