Friday, June 19, 2026 Juneteenth

- June 10, 2026

JUNE 19 Friday Third Week after Pentecost

Juneteenth-Saunter Day

He appointed judges in the land, in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and he said to them: “Take care what you do, for the judgment you give is not human but divine; for when it comes to judgment God will be with you and now, let the FEAR of the LORD be upon you. Act carefully, for with the LORD, our God, there is no injustice, no partiality, no bribe-taking.”

This was what Jehoshaphat said to the judges that he was appointing. Reform always includes justice. The Holy Spirit calls us to be just and merciful to human needs. Today pray for those who are in need and may not ask for help. Today, look for and act to address the real needs of all humans.

Hierarch of Needs[1]

A team of researchers at Arizona State University, led by evolutionary psychologist Douglas Kenrick, has noticed that most people really like being parents. Despite the challenges of child-rearing, Kenrick reported that the warmth, the love, the creativity, the sense of purpose and belonging—all of these factors and more make parenting the most enjoyable of all activities. Kenrick’s team reported this breaking news, which is just a ho-hum factoid to loving parents, in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. Kenrick and his group proposed a revision to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which takes into account our deepest biological drives. In the new Need Hierarchy, Maslow’s fifth tier need Self-Actualization has been supplanted at the top by a motivation which Maslow hadn’t even mentioned: Parenting.

What Is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs….and Do I Need It?

In my undergraduate days at the University of Michigan, the darling of the Psych Department was Abraham Maslow. A psychologist and motivational researcher, Maslow believed that humans’ most basic needs are inborn; and he developed his acclaimed Hierarchy of Needs in the 1950s to explain how these needs motivate us all. According to Maslow, our most basic needs for survival (food, water and shelter) must be satisfied before we can turn our attention to higher-level needs such as influence and personal development. If there is a threat to our lower-level needs (a house fire, for example, or job loss or nationwide famine), we will no longer be concerned about higher-level needs but will instead focus on rebuilding the base of security that we require.

Maslow’s five-tier Needs Hierarchy ranked the categories of needs, bottom to top, as follows:

Biological and Physiological needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.

Safety needs – protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.

Belongingness and Love needs – work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.

Esteem needs – self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.

Self-Actualization needs – realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

In the 1970s, behavioral scientists slipped in two additional categories after Esteem needs:

Cognitive needs (knowledge and meaning), and

Aesthetic needs (appreciation and search for beauty, form).

And in the 1990s, scientists took one more step toward a benevolent view of Need Hierarchy by topping Self-Actualization with an even higher need, the need for Transcendence. Once an individual achieved personal potential (Self-Actualization), scientists claimed, he or she would then seek Transcendence by helping another to achieve Self-Actualization—for example, through volunteer work in a disadvantaged community. What has emerged now, though—based on research studies conducted in 2010—is a new understanding that devoted parents find the deepest satisfaction in shaping the hearts and souls of the children who have been entrusted to their care. While non-parenting adults may expect the rigors of child-rearing to be an impediment to happiness, the opposite is true: Those who have actually experienced the joy of giving selflessly to a helpless infant achieve a level of wellbeing that is unmatched in human experience. Those who patiently teach a toddler to tie her shoes or help a middle schooler to make friends in the classroom, report greater satisfaction than do those whose focus is personal fulfillment through career, marriage or other adult relationship. Next in the pyramid, according to Kenrick and team, is Mate Retention– a marriage which lasts– and before that comes Mate Attraction (finding that special person). It would appear that all of our deepest longings derive from the complex biological urge to reproduce.

Copilot’s Take

Jehoshaphat’s charge to the judges lands with a clarity that cuts across centuries: “Take care what you do… for the judgment you give is not human but divine.” Justice is not a human invention; it is a participation in God’s own nature. The Catechism calls justice the firm and constant will to give each his due (CCC 1807), and it warns that partiality, bribery, and fear of men corrupt the soul long before they corrupt the courts. Juneteenth stands as a national reminder of what happens when justice is delayed, distorted, or denied — and how long people can suffer when those entrusted with authority forget the fear of the Lord.

Saunter Day, by contrast, invites a slower meditation. It is the feast of unhurried dignity — the deliberate pace of a person who refuses to be ruled by anxiety. One who saunters is one who sees: the vulnerable, the overlooked, the ones who will not ask for help. Such a person walks with the steadiness of someone who knows that God hems him in behind and before. Justice begins in this posture — not frantic, not reactive, but rooted in the fear of the Lord, which displaces every lesser fear.

Maslow believed the human story climbed toward self‑actualization, but newer research from Kenrick’s team — and the older wisdom of Scripture — points higher. The summit of human fulfillment is not self‑expression but self‑gift. Parenting, the shaping of souls, the handing on of life, becomes the true apex of human meaning. The Catechism calls the family the “original cell of social life” (CCC 2207), and parents the first heralds of the faith (CCC 2225). The deepest human needs are not met by autonomy but by communion, not by achievement but by responsibility.

This reflection lands close to home when considering the many young adults living the DINKWAD life — dual income, no kids, dogs in place of children, chasing experiences, perhaps chasing the fear of missing out. Beneath that lifestyle often lies a quiet ache: the fear of losing freedom, identity, comfort, or the curated life. Scripture teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the Catechism teaches that freedom without purpose becomes emptiness (CCC 1733). What may be called freedom can, in truth, become a subtle captivity — the captivity of self‑protection.

Addressing this cultural pattern is not a matter of lecturing or pressuring anyone into marriage or parenthood. That approach only breeds defensiveness. What is needed is vision — the witness of lives that have found joy in self‑gift rather than self‑preservation. The richest life is not the one curated for comfort but the one poured out in love. Seeds are planted not through arguments but through the quiet testimony of steadiness, generosity, and the recognition that responsibility enlarges the soul.

Juneteenth and Saunter Day together form a fitting metaphor for this generation: freedom delayed is still freedom worth claiming, and the pace of wisdom is slow enough to see what matters. Many move fast, collecting experiences, building a life of motion — but not necessarily a life of meaning. The call is not to force a different path but to walk with the dignity of one who knows that true freedom is the ability to give oneself away without fear.

So the invitation for this day is simple: pray for interior freedom. Walk with the steadiness of a saunter. Let life itself be the quiet argument that self‑gift is the summit of human flourishing. And trust that the God who judges without partiality also guides without haste — shaping hearts, opening eyes, and leading each child, in His time, toward the life they were made for.

Bible in a year Day 349 Holy Indifference

Today we conclude the book of Acts, and Fr. Mike reflects on our deep conviction to be the Church by serving all in the world, furthering St. Paul’s legacy of ordinary service, a willingness to share the gospel, and a dedication to following God’s will. Today’s readings are Acts 28, Philippians 1-2, and Proverbs 29:25-27.

Juneteenth[2]

Juneteenth, also called Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, celebrates the abolition of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Texas to deliver news that President Lincoln has issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the enslaved. Although Lincoln's Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, it took nearly two and half years for word to travel from Washington to Texas. By then, Texas had amassed more than 250,000 slaves.

Since 1865, Juneteenth has been informally celebrated throughout the country however in 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize it as an official holiday. Shortly thereafter, other states also proclaimed the holiday. Today, Juneteenth is a celebration of African American freedom, heritage and culture observed through songs, communal cookouts and parades.

Juneteenth Facts & Quotes

According to the International Labor Organization, almost 21 million people are victims of forced labor today, 11+ million women and girls and 9+ million men and boys.

Juneteenth is a combination of the words June and Nineteenth about the date that slaves were freed in Texas.

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. - General Gordon Granger, Major General of the United States Army, Issued June 19, 1865.

...I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons. - President Abraham Lincoln, The Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863

Juneteenth Top Events and Things to Do

Read the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation, issued by President Lincoln, declared all persons held as slaves within any State... shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.

Visit the Whitney Plantation, America's first slavery museum, to learn about impact of slavery in Southern America. The museum contains exhibits, artwork, restored buildings and first-person slave narratives about the lives of those enslaved in Louisiana.

Sing traditional Juneteenth songs. These include Swing low, Swing Chariot, and Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Attend the annual Juneteenth Emancipation Celebration at Emancipation Park, Houston Texas.

Attend a Juneteenth Musical Festival. These are held across the United States; great ones can be found in Denver, Berkeley and Atlanta

Let Courtesy be your watchword

Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday, June 19, 1945, is a leader from Myanmar who fought for democracy. Her life has been full of challenges and achievements.

Suu Kyi spent many years under house arrest because she stood up for her beliefs. Despite this, she never gave up on her dream of a free country. Her story inspires people all over the world.

John McCain in his book “Character is Destiny”[3] highlights the life of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the Burmese wife of an Oxford professor who came home to free her people, and oppose the political tyrants who jailed her with courage and decency and yet despite her mistreatment is for us a modern example of courtesy. Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma in 1988, after years of living and studying abroad, only to find widespread slaughter of protesters rallying against the brutal rule of dictator U Ne Win. She spoke out against him and initiated a nonviolent movement toward achieving democracy and human rights. In 1989, the government placed Suu Kyi under house arrest, and she spent 15 of the next 21 years in custody. In 1991, her ongoing efforts won her the Nobel Prize for Peace, and she was finally released from house arrest in November 2010. She has since gained a parliamentary seat with the National League for Democracy party.[4]

McCain says of Aung San Suu Kyi:

In Burma, courtesy is a rebellious gesture to a ruling elite that has tried to terrorize such refined kindness from their culture, and make a world where only power matters, where there are only the fearsome and the fearful. Suu, as she asks Western visitors to call her, never reciprocates discourtesy. She is a practicing Buddhist who refuses to hate those who hate her because, she says, she cannot fear what she doesn’t hate. In a statement she had smuggled to the press, she explained her steady, almost cheerful resistance to the regime’s attempts to frighten her. “It is not power that corrupts but fear,” she wrote. “Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” She remained unmoved. (One must never mistake her good manners and delicate beauty for a lack of will and strength.) She was willing, as always, to show her persecutors every courtesy and to entertain a polite willingness to consider their concerns as they discussed the future of their country. “Confrontation,” she told a Time magazine reporter, “comes about because there is no other way to settle differences. If there is a channel open for settling differences, there should be no need for confrontation.” And when she was asked how cruelly she had been treated by the regime, she responded, “I have never been treated cruelly.” But the regime, the bullies who are destroying the country and are so afraid of this one small woman and her implacable determination, would not acquiesce to any plan that might result in their long-overdue loss of power. Recently, reports have surfaced that the tyrants are again considering the release of Burma’s national heroine. Perhaps they will soon knock at the door of her home again. I have no doubt that when they do she will receive them with perfect courtesy, not that they deserve it. But she does not extend her courtesy as a sign of respect for them or their power, but to show, yet again, that they cannot make her become the only type of person they understand, one of the fearful or one of the fearsome. She is merely, steadfastly, reaching out to beauty to banish ugliness from her sight and the lives of her countrymen.

Sauntering Day[5]

“I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

The world around us is moving at such a hectic pace that we often forget to slow down and smell the proverbial roses. Even our walk is at high speed, pushing every inch of speed we can out of what is otherwise the most leisurely of modes of locomotion. It isn’t just an opportunity for us to remember to walk it is, more importantly, an opportunity for us to take a truly relaxed tack to the day and choose to saunter.

History of Sauntering Day

Saunter: v, a walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort.

This holiday was formed by W.T. Rabe in 1979 as a response to the sworn enemy of the Saunter, jogging. Jogging is a grueling attack on movement, with rapidity and effort being the purpose at hand, and all joy being drained from getting around by making each step as painful as possible. Perhaps we’re biased, but we believe the saunter to be the unquestionably superior alternative. Sauntering doesn’t just mean walking; it means walking as though the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders. It means being free from stress and strain, and instead focusing on the pure joy of walking. In fact, sauntering specifically implies that you will be moving in a joyful manner.

Sauntering Day is your opportunity to head out into the world and approach it with a deeply relaxed air, a moment of pure clarity and joy, all while enjoying the beautiful world around you and everything it has to offer.

How to Celebrate Sauntering Day

Give yourself plenty of time today and do so with the intent of relaxing and truly enjoying your journey to wherever it is you have to go. Saunter casually with pure relaxation and take in the scents and sights. Greet others, and don’t let their urge to move quickly infect yours. In fact, see if you can get them to slow down and join you on your happy little saunter. The world will be better for it, and you’ll be happier for it. Sauntering Day is your opportunity to leave all the rush behind and just… Saunter… through your day.

Fitness Friday Wim Hof's Workout Routine[6]

Becoming an Iceman like Wim Hof needs a solid discipline, especially when it comes to your workout routine. A man like him can breathe underwater for about 6 minutes and sit in an ice bath for about 2 hours while still maintaining his normal body temperature.

I’m pretty sure you’re all curious as to how an extreme athlete works out:

Wake Up and Stretch

Hof stretches his back and tough his toes. He then reaches the sky standing on his toes, holds for three seconds, and repeats it twice.

Power Breathing

Next, he takes a 30-40 slow, steady breath. He then followed it with a 10-count holding on to exhale and take a breath, and then hold a count of 10 once again. He repeats it four times and meditates for at least five minutes.

Cold Shower

The most important part of his workout routine is taking a cold shower. When he doesn’t have enough time, he sometimes combines power breathing while showering. If you want to follow a Wim Hof method, don’t ever skip this part.

Wim Hof's Breathing Exercise:

Looking for a quiet place to sit or lie down is the first thing that Hof is doing. There should be no distractions and minimal noise in that place so that he will be comfortable while exercising. Then, he follows these four steps:

· Step 1: Power Breaths

Here, Hof starts his exercise with 30-40 breaths (inhale and exhale). It must be slow and steady, making sure his breathing is neither deep or shallow. When performing power breaths, you need to imagine being blowing up a balloon and need to picture it out as if your body is being concentrated with fresh oxygen.

During this process, it is normal if you feel tingly or lightheaded.

· Step 2: Hold Your Breath

Once Hof completes the first step, he empties his lungs and holds his breath as long as he can. To monitor how long he can hold his breath and improvement with the time, he is using a stopwatch to check it. If you’re in this step, don’t focus too much on time or feel anxious if your time doesn’t increase quickly.

· Step 3: Breathe In

After Hof holds his breath until such time he feels a gasp reflex, he then inhales for about 10 seconds. Next is, he holds his breath for about 10-15 seconds. He usually repeats this step 1-4 rounds.

· Step 4: Meditate

Once he is done with all the rounds of power breathing, he immediately meditates for a minimum of 5 minutes. Here, it would be best if you close your eyes then focus on your breathing. Do your very best to block out any distracting thoughts and sounds around.

As Wim Hof said, this will be difficult at first, but it will become easier with constant practice. He believes that practicing his breathing and meditation techniques can help cure and prevent more diseases. It can also help in improving the quality of life, including having better sleep at night.

Around the Corner

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free, (Luke 4:18)

Eat Fish on Fridays

Cheat: National Steakhouse Month “make it surf and turf”

Stay at home: Soup

Singapore Chicken

Catholic Recipe: Eggplant Gratin

Spirit Hour: Bordeaux Red Wine in honor of Saint Paulinus of Nola

Iceman’s 40 devotion

Get an indulgence

Operation Purity

June is national Accordion Month

June is all about celebrating a special musical gem—it’s National Accordion Awareness Month! This month, the accordion is the focus of the spotlight, a unique and versatile instrument that adds a rich sound to various music styles.

From folk tunes to polka and beyond, the accordion has a special place in the hearts of music enthusiasts. Nicole Notes-My father relayed the following story to me. That my mother’s brother was very good at the accordion and brought it to a park in Fort Huachuca and played 4 hours and people danced and had a great time. An Italian Lawrence Welk. My Mother played the piano and her brother played the accordion.

Party in the Park