Saturday, June 27, 2026
June 27 — Day 4 of the Nine Days
The Jordan as Surrender
“He must increase; I must decrease.”
John’s greatness is not in his voice or his austerity.
His greatness is in his surrender.
At the Jordan, he steps aside.
He gives away the crowds, the attention, the authority.
He decreases so that Christ may rise.
This is the hinge of holiness:
not achievement, but relinquishment.
Not grasping, but yielding.
If Day 1 is the Voice,
Day 2 the Furnace,
Day 3 the Test,
Day 4 is the Surrender.
A nation approaching its 250th year must learn this again:
less ego, more service;
less posturing, more humility;
less self‑assertion, more room for God.
Prayer
Jesus, teach me the grace of decreasing.
Empty me of pride, noise, and self‑importance.
Do this in my nation, that You may increase.
SMOKE IN THIS LIFE, NOT THE NEXT
Love & Mercy
Virtue — Love & Mercy
Cigar — A deep, tender Maduro
Pour — Stagg Jr., intense and unflinching
Reflection
At the edge of death, a man sees clearly.
The Jesuit who wrote of his agony saw St. Ignatius himself approach — not with softness, but with the gaze of a father who knows what holiness costs. For a moment he thought Ignatius would take him home. Instead, the saint pointed to what still needed correction.
Even at the threshold of Heaven, God asks for more love, more surrender, more truth.
That is mercy.
Not indulgence — purification.
Tonight’s Maduro and Stagg Jr. carry that same lesson: tenderness and fire, consolation and correction. Love that comforts, and love that refuses to leave a man unfinished.
Purgatory Line
The saints do not flatter us; they finish us.
Reflection Question
What part of me would Ignatius point to and say, “This must be corrected before joy”?
JUNE 27 Saturday Fourth
Week of Pentecost
Our Lady of Perpetual Help-Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop
2 Chronicles, Chapter 20, Verse 29
And the FEAR of God came upon all the kingdoms of the surrounding lands
when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
Fear
is a natural response to the unknown and to powers beyond comprehension. After
experiencing our Lord for forty days after the resurrection and seeing him
leave again and without the Holy Spirit’s presence the disciples were heartbroken, but He promised them that He would
send the Holy Spirit saying it is better for us that He leave us so we may
receive power from on high. The first gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of
Holy fear; to respond to God’s love as a son or daughter rather than a servant.
We are given the ability via the Holy Spirit to make and keep commitments.
Copilot’s
Take
The fear
that fell on the nations in 2 Chronicles is the same fear the disciples felt
after the Ascension — the moment when human strength is exposed and divine
strength becomes necessary. Holy fear is not panic; it is the clarity that
comes when a man realizes God is not distant. He acts. He judges. He defends.
And when He moves, even kingdoms tremble.
Pentecost
transforms that fear. The Spirit does not remove danger; He equips men to face
it. The Catechism teaches that humanity lives in a “dramatic situation” because
of the presence of real evil (CCC 409). Godly men do not deny this. They do not
numb themselves with distraction. They stand in the tension with the confidence
of sons who know their Father is not absent from the battlefield.
In light of global instability — including the turmoil and repression in Iran — holy fear becomes essential. It keeps a man from being shaped by headlines, propaganda, or emotional reactions. The Spirit grants discernment (CCC 1831), allowing a man to see through noise and identify what is true, what is just, and what is required of him. Evil thrives when men are confused; holy fear restores clarity.
The
Catechism warns that sin spreads when unopposed (CCC 1868). Godly men cannot
afford indifference. The suffering of the innocent — anywhere — is not someone
else’s problem. Holy fear awakens responsibility. It teaches a man to pray with
urgency, speak truth without hatred, and refuse to normalize brutality. Silence
is not neutrality; it is participation in the world’s drift toward darkness.
But
confrontation begins at home. The Spirit’s first work is interior:
strengthening the will, illuminating the conscience, and giving a man the
ability to make and keep commitments (CCC 1830). A man who cannot confront the
evil within himself cannot confront the evil outside himself. Holy fear forms
the backbone that global crises reveal.
So how
should Godly men proceed?
With
courage, not rage. With clarity, not confusion. With fidelity, not fearfulness.
The world is unstable, but the Spirit is not. Holy fear anchors a man in the
truth that God is present, active, and victorious — and that the sons He has
claimed are expected to stand, pray, discern, and act with the calm authority
of those who belong to Him.
Also
known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succor, is celebrated on June 27 by the
universal Church.
The
devotion to this Marian advocation revolves around the picture of Our Lady of
Perpetual Succor, painted on wood, with background of gold. It is Byzantine in
style and is supposed to have been painted in the thirteenth century. It
represents the Mother of God holding the Divine Child while the Archangels
Michael and Gabriel presenting Him the instruments of His Passion. Over the
figures in the picture are some Greek letters which form the abbreviated words
Mother of God, Jesus Christ, Archangel Michael, and Archangel Gabriel
respectively.
The icon was brought to Rome towards the
end of the fifteenth century by a pious merchant, who, dying there, ordered by
his will that the picture should be exposed in a church for public veneration.
It was exposed in the church of San Matteo in the famous Roman street of Via
Merulana, which connects the basilicas of Saint Mary Major and Saint John
Lateran. Crowds flocked to this church, and for nearly three hundred years many
graces were obtained through the intercession of the Blessed
Pope Pius IX,
who as a boy had prayed before the picture in San Matteo, became interested in the discovery. But at that time, the ruins of San Matteo were in the grounds of a convent of the Redemptorists -- the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer -- founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787). The Father General of the Redemptorists, Most Rev. Nicholas Mauron, decided to bring the whole matter to the attention of the Pope. The Pope listened attentively and felt sure it was God’s will that the icon should be gain exposed to public veneration and the logical site was their church of St. Alphonsus, standing as it did between the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. The Holy Father at once took a piece of paper and wrote a short memorandum ordering the Augustinian Fathers of St. Mary in Posterula to surrender the picture to the Redemptorists, on condition that the Redemptorists supply the Augustinians with another picture of Our Lady or a good copy of the icon of Perpetual Help.
The Icon meant much to the Augustinians,
but when the two Redemptorists came armed with the Pope’s signed memorandum,
what could they do but obey? On January 19, 1866, Fathers Marchi and Bresciani
brought the miraculous picture to St. Alphonsus’ church. Preparations were now
made to inaugurate the new public reign of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. On April
26th, a great procession was staged in which the picture was carried throughout
the Esquiline region of Rome. Upon returning to the church, the picture was enthroned
over the high altar, in a resplendent shrine-niche especially constructed for
it.
Reports of marvelous healings spread
rapidly throughout the city of Rome and people came by the hundreds to visit
the shrine. Soon the whole area around the altar was filled with abandoned
crutches and canes and several whole glass-covered cabinets were filled with
gold and silver thanksgiving offerings in the shapes of miniature hearts, arms,
legs and other votive offerings. Scarcely two weeks after the solemn exposition
of the picture, Pope Pius IX himself came to visit the shrine. He stood quietly
before it for a long time and then exclaimed: “How beautiful she is!”.
Pope Leo XIII, the next pontiff, had a
copy of the picture on his desk so that he might see it constantly during his
working day. St. Pius X sent a copy of the icon to the Empress of Ethiopia and
granted an indulgence of 100 days to anyone who repeated the phrase: “Mother of
Perpetual Help, pray for us.”
Pope Benedict XV had the picture of Our
Lady of Perpetual Help placed immediately over his chair of state in the throne
room. Here it could be seen by all just over his head, as if to say: “Here is
your true Queen!”.
Pope Pius IX told the Redemptorists, in
speaking to them of the treasure he had committed to their care: “Make her
known!” It seems as though they hardly needed the exhortation. In the United
States, they built the first Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in the Roxbury
section of Boston, and it was eventually raised to the honor of a “Papal
Basilica” by Pope Pius XII.
Things to Do:
Read the History
of the Icon.
Visit Our Lady of Perpetual Help Radio site to see an explanation
of the symbols of the Icon.
See also Women
for Faith & Family page on Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
My mother Rosella always went to the novenas of Our Lady of Perpetual help. Light a candle for her.
St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria (376-444).[2]
Cyril was one of the metropolitan sees of the Christian Church in the east, was
one of the great defenders of the faith against the heresy of Nestorius who
denied the oneness of person in Jesus Christ. At the Council of Ephesus in 431,
over which he presided in the pope's name, and at his instigation, it was
defined that Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time God and man, and the
Blessed Virgin Mary, His mother, is truly Theotokos, the Mother of God.
St. Cyril died in 444. The Church venerates him as one of her great doctors.
His commentary on the Gospel of St. John is one of the richest doctrinally of
those left us by the Fathers of the Church.
Bible
in a year Day 357 Truth and Love
Fr. Mike
emphasizes that Christian love isn't just about feelings—it's about living in
God's truth by obeying his commandments. Fr. Mike also explains the context for
St. Paul's words to St. Timothy about asceticism and caring for widows, and he
ends today's reflection by encouraging us to keep fighting the good fight of
faith. Today's readings are 2 John, 3 John; 1 Timothy 4-6; Proverbs 30:29-33.
Around the Corner
This is the day the LORD has
made.
let us
rejoice in it and be glad.
(Psalm
118:24)
Bucket List trip: Rich
vs Poor Tour: 2-Qatar
vs. 221-Somalia
Qatar: Its success comes from leveraging
abundant natural gas and oil resources to generate massive export income,
while maintaining a small population that benefits directly from this
wealth. It then reinvested globally through a sovereign wealth fund,
prioritized infrastructure, and is actively working to diversify beyond fossil
fuels—offering a roadmap for long-term economic sustainability
Somalia
poor due to decades of conflict, weak governance, and recurring climate
disasters that have devastated agriculture and displaced millions. The economy
survives largely on remittances and aid, while basic services and
infrastructure remain limited.
Saturday
Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
June
is national Accordion Month
Spirit Hour: World Arak Day
Lord, help us-Pray-Pray hard
Industrial
Workers of the World Day
Pray that our leaders may see and hear God’s Revelation as well as Helen Keller although she was born blind and deaf.
Fight like a knight, so I can
reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone. Trust is victorious. Do not fear struggle; courage itself often
intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us. Courage, God is.
Daily
Devotions
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Protection
of Life from Conception until natural death.
Litany
of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Go to MASS
Rosary
COME TO THE STABLE (1949)
Loretta Young • Celeste Holm • Elsa Lanchester
Directed by Henry Koster
A film wrapped in innocence yet anchored in resolve,
Come to the Stable is not merely a charming Christmas fable.
It is a study in holy audacity —
how two women armed with nothing but faith
move mountains that institutions fear to touch.
Loretta Young carries the serene authority
of a woman who knows God’s will is not a suggestion.
Celeste Holm brings the practical, luminous steadiness
of a soul who trusts without theatrics.
Together they form a portrait of courage
that is gentle, persistent, and disarming.
Beneath the sweetness lies a harder truth:
grace advances through those
who refuse to be discouraged.
1. Production & Historical Setting
Post‑War America and the Return to Hope
Released in 1949, the film arrives as America
is rebuilding its spiritual imagination.
The war is over, but the wounds remain.
Audiences longed for stories
where innocence was not naïve
and faith was not mocked.
Loretta Young: The Radiant Determination
Young plays Sister Margaret with a serenity
that hides iron beneath lace.
Her holiness is not passive —
it is purposeful.
Celeste Holm: The Practical Mystic
Holm’s Sister Scholastica is the grounding force,
the one who turns miracles into logistics
and hope into action.
A Supporting Cast of Skeptics and Converts
From the composer who resists them
to the townspeople who slowly yield,
the ensemble embodies the world’s initial suspicion
of anything pure —
and its eventual surrender to grace.
2. Story Summary
The Mission
Two French nuns arrive in New England
to build a children’s hospital
on land they do not own
with money they do not have.
The Resistance
They meet bureaucracy, skepticism,
and the polite condescension
reserved for the overly idealistic.
The Breakthrough
Through humility, persistence,
and a disarming confidence in Providence,
they soften hearts, open doors,
and make the impossible possible.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Holy Audacity
Faith is not timid.
It asks boldly because it trusts deeply.
B. Innocence as Strength
Purity is not weakness —
it is clarity without fear.
C. Providence Works Through Persistence
Miracles often look like
ordinary people refusing to quit.
D. The Conversion of the Skeptical
Grace rarely overwhelms;
it persuades.
E. The Power of Peaceful Resolve
The nuns win not by force
but by the quiet authority of love.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night of Gentle Resolve
Drink: Hot cocoa with a dash of nutmeg — warm, simple, consoling.
Plate: Fresh bread with butter and honey — humble abundance.
Atmosphere: Soft lamplight, a winter breeze through a cracked window, quiet music.
Symbol: A small wooden crib on the table — empty, expectant, hopeful.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where is God asking me to act with holy boldness.
Where have I mistaken gentleness for weakness.
What resistance in my life needs patient persistence.
Who around me is waiting to be softened by grace.
Where must I trust Providence instead of my own calculations.
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