June 26, 2026

Friday, July 3, 2026

🔥 SMOKE in this life not the NEXT

Dog Days Begin • FAST • First Friday (Sacred Heart)

Cigar: Maduro Robusto A dark, disciplined stick for the opening of the Dog Days. The Maduro forces you to sit with the heat instead of escaping it — a slow burn that doesn’t flatter, doesn’t sweeten, doesn’t entertain. It simply burns. The kind of cigar that makes you face yourself. The ember becomes a small furnace in your hand, a reminder that purification is never gentle, and holiness is never soft. Tonight the smoke is not for pleasure but for clarity.

Drink: Four Roses Small Batch, neat A straight, honest pour. No ice. No soft edges. A bourbon that carries its own heat and meets the cigar without blinking. It’s the right drink for a FAST day — elemental, unadorned, purifying. A First Friday drink should sting a little.

Meditation: As the ember glows, remember Sr. Teresa Gesta’s burned handprint — a soul so aflame with divine purification that wood scorched at her touch. She called it “a proof of the mercy of God.” That is the Dog Days truth: mercy burns, and the burn is mercy. Let the smoke rise like a soul being refined. Let the heat reveal what still clings, what still resists, what still needs to be burned away.

JULY 3 First Friday-Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

Nehemiah, Chapter 4, Verse 3

We prayed to our God and posted a watch against them day and night for FEAR of what they might do.

Here this references the Jewish people as they attempt to rebuild their great nation and the enemies of Judah encircle them and poise to launch an attack against them.

Sounds like the battle cry of the unbelieving secular media against the current administration in DC and those who are carrying their guns and their bibles who resist them. One wonders what the god of a secular media is.

False Gods[1]

The media view themselves as their own gods—masters of their own fates. Many of these self-made gods control our media. As gods, they want no competition. They reject the truth that God is God alone and that He will hold them accountable for mocking Him and His followers. Thus, the truth is hell to them, even before they get there. They express their hatred for God’s truth by heaping venom on anyone who declares the truth. They are rewriting American history, to fit their desire for self-worship, want to silence truth. Thus, whenever a Christian lovingly and thoughtfully points them to the truth of history, they hound them down, accusing them of “racism,” “hate speech” and “bigotry.”

Why?

Because truth to them is hell, so they want to muzzle their message. To them these truths are hell, so they respond by likening Christians to the Taliban and the Jihadis …

Can you imagine?

· The Christians who founded the hospital movement.

· The Christians who founded the library movement.

· The Christians who founded the orphanage movement.

· The Christians who founded education.

· The Christians, who have and continue to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and care for the needy.

· The Christians who sacrificed and continue to sacrifice in following the role model of their Savior who gave His all on a cross to save them.

How can they say that Christians are likened to the Taliban?

· The Taliban who shoots women in the head at close range in soccer stadiums.

· The Taliban who buries people alive for their sins and misdemeanors.

· The Taliban who stone women to death for mere accusations.

My concern is that the very truth that can set them free is the truth they attack. I know why they attack it—because it feels like hell to them. It is condemning. However, my heart is not to condemn them but to pray to God to open their blind eyes, just like He opened mine, so that they may see the truth before it is too late for them.

Dr. Michael Youssef's expertise on the Islamic culture and the Middle East in today's post-modern world is actively sought by hundreds of thousands of followers around the globe. With a Ph.D. from Emory University in social anthropology, his Egyptian heritage gives him particular insight into the cultural and religious entanglements of international affairs.  It is estimated that over 10 million viewers/listeners around the world are tuned in every week through an international Christian media ministry founded by Youssef, www.leadingtheway.org. It broadcasts via radio and television to over 200 countries and in over 20 languages. Follow Youssef, a common sense intellectual and renowned author of 24 books, on twitter @michaelayoussef and through his news blog, www.michaelyoussef.com.

Copilot’s Take

Nehemiah describes a moment when the people of Judah are surrounded by enemies determined to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem. They pray, they post a watch, and they keep working. Scripture says they did this “for fear of what they might do,” yet they refused to let fear dictate their future. This is the first movement of Calm, the spiritual steadiness that comes from trusting that God is already present in the pressure. The Catechism teaches that God’s providence “guides all things” toward His purpose (ccc 302), and Nehemiah rests in that truth.

From that calm rises Clarity. Nehemiah sees the situation exactly as it is: there are forces that oppose truth, rebuilding, and the restoration of God’s people. Every age has its own version of this opposition. Some voices resist faith, distort truth, or mock what is sacred. But clarity means distinguishing between people—who bear God’s image—and the spiritual deception that blinds them. The Catechism says, “The truth is beautiful in itself” (ccc 2500), and clarity is the courage to name reality without hatred.

Then comes Confrontation, the holy courage to stand against what destroys. Nehemiah confronts evil not by shouting at it, but by building in spite of it. He confronts lies with truth, intimidation with perseverance, and chaos with order. His workers build with trowels in one hand and stand guard with spears in the other. The Catechism teaches that sin “creates a rupture” in human life (ccc 1849), and confrontation is the work of repairing that rupture through fidelity.

This pattern echoes in every age. False gods always rise—idols of power, ideology, self-worship, or the belief that human voices are the ultimate authority. These idols demand allegiance, rewrite truth, and attempt to silence anything that challenges them. But the people of God confront false gods the way Nehemiah did: with prayer, watchfulness, and unwavering commitment to the truth. The Catechism reminds us that conscience must be formed to “seek what is true and good” (ccc 1777), and clarity sharpens that conscience.

The Catechism also teaches that “the human heart is heavy and hardened” until grace breaks through (ccc 1432). That is why truth provokes resistance. When truth exposes what is false, those invested in the falsehood feel threatened. Nehemiah’s enemies felt it. The apostles felt it. Saint Thomas, whose feast we celebrate today, felt it when he moved from doubt to the bold confession, “My Lord and my God.” Truth awakens opposition, but it also awakens courage.

The deeper lesson is that the people who resist truth are not the enemy. The enemy is the deception that blinds them. Nehemiah prayed for protection, but he also prayed for his enemies to see. That is the heart of every Christian who confronts evil: not to condemn, but to intercede. The Catechism says that God “touches and moves the heart of man” (ccc 2002), and so we pray for eyes to be opened, including our own.

Nehemiah’s world and ours share the same spiritual landscape: fear at the edges, pressure from the outside, and the temptation to give up. But the pattern remains the same—Calm in the presence of fear, Clarity in naming the real battle, and Confrontation through prayer, truth, and perseverance. The Catechism teaches that “God’s grace goes before us” (ccc 2001), and when we stand in Calm, Clarity, and Confrontation, God rebuilds what fear tries to destroy, and the walls of faith rise again.

First Friday[2]

"On Friday during Holy Communion, He said these words to His unworthy slave, if I mistake not: I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they will not die under my displeasure or without receiving their sacraments, my divine Heart making itself their assured refuge at the last moment."

With regard to this promise it may be remarked:

(1) that our Lord required Communion to be received on a particular day chosen by Him.

(2) that the nine Fridays must be consecutive.

(3) that they must be made in honor of His Sacred Heart, which means that those who make the nine Fridays must practice the devotion and must have a great love for our Lord.

(4) that our Lord does not say that those who make the nine Fridays will be dispensed from any of their obligations or from exercising the vigilance necessary to lead a good life and overcome temptation; rather He implicitly promises abundant graces to those who make the nine Fridays to help them to carry out these obligations and persevere to the end.

(5) that perseverance in receiving Holy Communion for nine consecutive First Fridays helps the faithful to acquire the habit of frequent Communion, which our Lord eagerly desires: and

(6) that the practice of the nine Fridays is very pleasing to our Lord since He promises such great reward, and that all Catholics should endeavor to make the nine Fridays.

Feast of St Thomas[3]

St. Thomas was one of Jesus' disciples. He is best known for being the one disciple who wanted proof of Jesus' resurrection. St. Thomas is celebrated with a feast day in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. He is often referred to as Doubting Thomas, and also the name The Twin. Many Christians see themselves in St. Thomas because he doubted the resurrection until he received proof from Christ himself. He also confessed to not understanding Jesus when Christ told his disciples at the Last Supper that he was preparing a place for them.

St Thomas Facts

An early church text claims that Thomas was the only witness to the Assumption of Mary into heaven. As her body entered heaven, she dropped her girdle. Medieval art often depicts Thomas catching the girdle.

Thomas didn't believe the apostles when they saw Jesus the first time after the resurrection. He saw Jesus himself during his second appearance and touched the wounds on his hands and side (John 20:24-29).

Church tradition says that Thomas traveled to eastern lands, including Persia, to evangelize to the people there about Jesus. He is thought to have settled in India.

The feast day is held July 3, but sermons the following Sunday may also mention St. Thomas and faith. Originally the feast day for St. Thomas was on Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year. All sorts of traditions surrounded the day, including serving meat pies and charitable giving.

St Thomas Top Events and Things to Do

Read writings by St. Thomas. Several early church documents bearing Thomas' name are popular, including the Gospel of Thomas, which is a collection of Jesus' sayings. Other texts include the Acts of Thomas and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. None of these texts were included in the Bible.

Thousands of Indians claim to be descendants of the Christians that Thomas helped to convert. Join them on a pilgrimage in Paylador to the traditional spot of Thomas' tomb, Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Trichur (Kerala, India).

If you are a single woman, try an ancient custom performed on the Feast of St. Thomas to get an idea who you will marry. Unmarried Austrian women would climb into bed over a stool, throw their shoes with toes pointing downward toward the bedroom door, and then sleep with their head at the foot of the bed. Women who performed this ritual were thought to dream about their future husbands.

Say a blessing prayer for your property on the feast of St. Thomas. An ancient custom was for farmers and their sons or hands to drive off evil spirits in preparation for Christmas. They were sprinkling holy water across the land, while other family members stayed inside and prayed the rosary.

Bible in a year Day 363 The New Covenant Priesthood

Fr. Mike draws a parallel between the symbols in the book of Revelation and the persecution by the Roman empire of the first Christians and encourages us to hold firm in our faith. Additionally, Fr. Mike reveals the beauty of the new covenant priesthood established by Jesus and explained in Hebrews. Today’s readings are Revelation 15-17, Hebrews 5-8, and Proverbs 31:23-25.

Fitness Friday

Fitness Friday-Hunting Workout

Recognizing that God, the Father created man on Friday the 6^th day I propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew yourself in strength, mind, soul and heart.

Elk hunting[4] (or indeed any rough-country hunt where drastic elevation changes are a routine part of the hunt) requires a different kind of planning and conditioning than your usual whitetail hunt. The most common problem out-of-state hunters experience is not being in good enough physical condition to handle constant up-and-down foot travel at high elevation - especially when carrying a pack. The result is a physically exhausted hunter who is unable to perform. Hours and days of precious hunting time are wasted due to need for rest and recovery. Here’s a twelve-week plan that will prep you for the high country. There are two main components to physical prep for rough-country hunting: cardiovascular and muscular. Plan on exercising thirty to forty-five minutes per weekday, alternating between cardio and muscular workouts. Be sure to stretch and warm up gradually before workouts and cool off gradually afterwards.

Week One: Start out easy on yourself to lower risk of hurting joints or tendons.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Go for a brisk 45-minute walk, preferably including up and down terrain.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Spend 30 minutes climbing up and down the local bleacher stairs (or a nice steep hill). Take regular short rests.

Week Two: Step it up a little.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Add short stints of jogging to your walk.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: same 30-minute routine, just cut down on rest time.

Week Three: Start getting focused.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Begin pushing yourself, walking less and jogging more.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same 30-minute routine, add three squats and three lunges (don’t use weights) alternately during short rest periods.

Week Four: You should be feeling much stronger by now and hurting less. Remain careful to avoid injury.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Try to jog the majority of your 45 minutes.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Try to spend the entire 30 minutes climbing your stairs or hillside, alternating between five squats and five lunges every few minutes. Only rest at the ten- and twenty-minute marks.

Week Five: By now you should be enjoying your workouts.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Warm up, then alternate two-minute sprints with walking to catch your breath. 45 minutes.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Wear a pack with 20 pounds of weight in it during your routine. Rest when needed.

Week Six: You should be feeling like a bonafide athlete.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Back to jogging but pick up the pace a bit.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Try to get through your routine – hiking with pack and five crunches/lunges every five minutes – without stopping to rest.

Week Seven: Halfway there!
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Back to sprinting/walking. Push yourself.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Add five pounds to your pack (total 25), same routine.

Week Eight: Second amendment week.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Trade the jogging in for a smooth relaxed 45 min run. (Faster than jogging, but not a sprint)
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same routine as week seven but carry your bow or rifle (empty of course) or object of similar weight/balance).

Week Nine: Hang in there.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: Sprinting and walking. Keep pushing.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Add five pounds – you’re up to 30 pounds plus your rifle/bow. Stay strong and focused.

Week Ten: Home stretch – only three weeks till the hunt.
Mon/Wed/Fri cardio: More smooth relaxed running. Keep it strong.
Tues/Thurs/Sat muscular: Same routine, add another five pounds. You’re up to thirty-five now, approximately the weight of a three-day bivy pack. Keep up the squats and lunges, they will prep you for big tough steps when climbing and crouching while stalking.

Around the Corner

Tom Cruise, born on July 3, 1962, is a world-famous actor known for his roles in action-packed movies. He started acting in the 1980s and quickly became a popular star.

Cruise is famous for doing his stunts in movies. He has been a part of many big hits, inspiring fans worldwide. His life story is a journey from a small-town boy to a global icon. Tom Cruise’s rise to fame began with the movie “Risky Business” in 1983. This role made him a star overnight.

He then starred in “Top Gun” in 1986, a film that became a cultural phenomenon. His portrayal of a fighter pilot won hearts globally. These early successes set the stage for a remarkable career.

In the 1990s, Cruise took on diverse roles. He starred in the “Mission: Impossible” series, which became a huge success. His role as Ethan Hunt showcased his talent for action and suspense. Cruise did many of his stunts, earning him respect for his dedication.

Foodie: BRITS BITS: 10 favorite British foods

National Eat Your Beans Day

But what if you smell up the house?

Not to worry because its also Air Conditioning Appreciation Day!

Bucket List: Military Hop

RAF Mildenhall, Gateway to the United Kingdom

What to do

Eat Fish on Fridays

Cheat: Peri-Peri Shrimp

Stay at home: Colcannon

Spirit hour: Tom Collins in honor of St. Thomas

Iceman’s 40 devotion

Get an indulgence

Operation Purity

Daily Devotions

Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: The Pope

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

Drops of Christ’s Blood

Universal Man Plan

Rosary

[1]http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/32215-why-do-the-members-of-the-secular-media-hate-bible-believing-christians

[2]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=876&repos=3&subrepos=3&searchid=2158533

[3]http://www.wincalendar.com/St-Thomas

[4]https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/game-changers/your-12-week-plan-get-shape-elk-hunting-season

THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER (1947)

Loretta Young • Joseph Cotten • Ethel Barrymore • Charles Bickford Directed by H.C. Potter 1080p HD Restoration

A political comedy wrapped in sincerity and anchored in virtue, The Farmer’s Daughter is not merely a lighthearted romance. It is a meditation on integrity in public life and the quiet strength of a woman who refuses to be anything but honest.

Loretta Young’s Katrin Holstrom is luminous — a farm girl with a spine of steel, a heart formed by work and faith, and a moral clarity that unsettles the powerful.

Joseph Cotten’s Glenn Morley is the polished Washington insider who rediscovers his conscience through the courage of a woman who tells the truth even when it costs her.

Ethel Barrymore’s Mrs. Morley is the film’s moral compass — sharp, dignified, and quietly amused as she watches goodness overturn the expected order.

Beneath the humor lies a deeper truth: character is not a strategy. It is a force.

1. Production & Cultural Setting

Post‑War America Looking for Hope

Released in 1947, the film arrives as the nation longed for decency, stability, and moral leadership. Katrin embodies the belief that ordinary virtue can still change public life.

Loretta Young: The Radiant Reformer

Her Oscar‑winning performance is a portrait of courage without bitterness and innocence without naiveté.

Joseph Cotten: The Conscience Awakened

His arc mirrors the nation’s — from cynicism to conviction.

2. Story Summary

The Journey

Katrin leaves her family farm to pursue nursing school in the city.

The Detour

Through a twist of fate, she becomes a maid in the Morley household — and catches the eye of a rising congressman.

The Conflict

When political corruption threatens the common good, Katrin refuses to stay silent.

The Triumph

Her honesty inspires a movement, and the nation sees what Glenn sees: a woman worthy of trust.

3. Moral & Emotional Resonances

A. Integrity as Power

Katrin’s truthfulness is her political platform.

B. Ordinary Virtue as Revolution

Goodness is not naïve — it is transformative.

C. Politics as Moral Arena

The film insists that public life is worthy of the virtuous.

D. Love Rooted in Respect

Romance grows not from charm but from shared conviction.

E. Hope as Civic Duty

The story believes America is still capable of choosing the good.

4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night of Honest Warmth

Drink: Hot coffee with cream — simple, strong, unpretentious. Plate: Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes — Katrin’s heritage on a plate. Atmosphere: Warm lamplight, a tidy table, a vase of fresh flowers. Symbol: A ballot — the power of one honest voice.