Sunday, June 21, 2026 Fathers Day/Summer Solstice
Smoke in This Life — June 21
Solstice • Father’s Day • Eleventh Sunday
A mild Connecticut Shade,
a steady pour of Knob Creek 12,
and the long light of the solstice
remind a man what fatherhood truly is —
strength that shelters,
and shelter that strengthens.
Butler’s Lives tells of a woman shown Purgatory and Hell,
recognizing faces she had known,
and choosing to return to earth
so others might reach Heaven first.
That is the heart of a father —
the refusal to rest
while his children are still in danger.
And today we remember the old promise
of the two lost drops of Christ’s Blood —
held in reserve for the most endangered souls,
proof that no child is beyond
the reach of the Father’s mercy.
Reflection Question:
Whose soul has God placed in my care, and what strength must I offer so they reach home.
JUNE 21 Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga-Father’s Day-Summer Solstice-Yoga
Matthew, Chapter 10,
verse 28
And do not be AFRAID
of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid
of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
We must be resilient in our faith to resist the devil and the suffering he inflicts by his influence on weak and sinful men. John McCain in his book Character is Destiny[1] points to the 16th President of the United States as a man who demonstrates for us the characteristic of RESILIENCE. Resilience is the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens. Abraham Lincoln had known loss and grief all his life yet rather that than succumb to defeat; he somehow, always found a way to rise back up. He was inarguably a man of action. Although he was known to have chronic depression he never yielded and in some way resurrected from his melancholic states thinking, “To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better.”
Lincoln rose to the highest office in the land after surviving a hard and poor childhood in the Indiana wilderness, a harsh father, little education, and deep loneliness. He survived the death of his brother, a sister, his mother, his first sweetheart, and his own children and his marriage to Mary Todd was troubled. As president he was considered dismal by most.
How did Lincoln persist?
He willed it. He was neither swift nor brilliant at work but he was exhaustive; he continued. His resilience sprang from his deep conviction that America was, “the last, best hope of earth.” In the end he paid for his devotion with his life; so that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Copilot
Evil is not
symbolic. The devil is not a metaphor. The Catechism states plainly that Satan
is a fallen angel who seeks the ruin of souls. His strategy is always the same:
counterfeit the good, distort the true, and seduce the weak. This is why Jesus
warns us not to fear those who kill the body. The devil does not need your
body; he wants your will. He wants a man to bow, to compromise, to soften, to
forget who he is.
In 2026 the devil’s
counterfeits are polished and polite. Nature‑spirituality, yoga mysticism,
“energy work,” and the cult of self‑divinization all fall under the Church’s
definition of idolatry. They promise peace without repentance, transcendence
without grace, and divinity without God. They are the modern Gehenna—beautiful
on the surface, burning underneath. Christ’s warning is not outdated; it is
prophetic.
Against this
backdrop, Lincoln stands as a secular icon of Christian resilience. He suffered
more than most men: poverty, loneliness, depression, bereavement, political
humiliation. Yet he refused despair. He rose again and again, not because he
felt strong, but because he willed to stand. His line—“I must die or be
better”—is the echo of Christ’s call to take up the cross. Resilience is not
emotion; it is decision.
Lincoln believed
America was “the last, best hope of earth,” and that conviction gave him the
stamina to endure. Likewise, the Christian believes that Christ is the last,
best hope of man. This conviction steels the soul. It teaches a man to fear God
more than mobs, more than ridicule, more than death itself. It teaches him to
stand upright in a world that kneels before idols. It teaches him to suffer
without surrender.
Christ’s command
remains the same today: do not fear those who kill the body. Fear the loss of
your soul. Fear becoming spiritually numb. Fear bowing to anything but God.
This is the fear that makes martyrs, fathers, saints, and men who cannot be
broken. In an age of counterfeit spirituality and soft convictions, Matthew
10:28 is not merely a warning—it is a call to arms.
ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY[2]
CHAPTER III
DIES
ECCLESIAE
The Eucharistic
Assembly:
Heart of Sunday
The table of the Body of Christ
42. The table of the word leads naturally to the
table of the Eucharistic Bread and prepares the community to live its many
aspects, which in the Sunday Eucharist assume an especially solemn character.
As the whole community gathers to celebrate "the Lord's Day", the
Eucharist appears more clearly than on other days as the great
"thanksgiving" in which the Spirit-filled Church turns to the Father,
becoming one with Christ and speaking in the name of all humanity. The rhythm
of the week prompts us to gather up in grateful memory the events of the days
which have just passed, to review them in the light of God and to thank him for
his countless gifts, glorifying him "through Christ, with Christ and in
Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit". The Christian community thus
comes to a renewed awareness of the fact that all things were created through
Christ (cf. Col 1:16; Jn 1:3), and that in Christ, who came in
the form of a slave to take on and redeem our human condition, all things have
been restored (cf. Eph 1:10), in order to be handed over to God the
Father, from whom all things come to be and draw their life. Then, giving
assent to the Eucharistic doxology with their "Amen", the People of
God look in faith and hope towards the eschatological end, when Christ
"will deliver the kingdom to God the Father ... so that God may be
everything to everyone" (1 Cor 15:24, 28).
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost[3]
Trusting in God in the midst of
troubles. The example of St. Peter is given because of this Sunday's usual
proximity to the Feast of Saints. Peter and Paul.*
WITH confidence in God’s fatherly protection, say,
with the priest, in the Introit of the Mass, “The Lord is my light and my
salvation, whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom
shall I be afraid? My enemies that trouble me have themselves been weakened and
have fallen. If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall
not fear” (Ps. xxvi. 1-3).
Prayer.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that the course of
the world, by Thy direction, may, in our regard, be peaceful; and that Thy
Church may rejoice in tranquil devotion.
EPISTLE.
Rom. viii. 18-23.
Brethren: I reckon that the sufferings of this time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in
us. For the expectation of the creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons
of God For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason
of Him that made it subject, in hope: because the creature also itself shall be
delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of
the children of God. For we know that every creature groaneth, and travaileth
in pain even till now. And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the first
fruits of the spirit: even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body: in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Brief
Lessons.
There is no better consolation under crosses and
afflictions than the thought that all the troubles of this world are not to be
compared with the glory to come, and “that which is at present momentary and
light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal
weight of glory” (Cor. iv. 17). And, therefore, St. Bede says: “If we had to
bear for a while the pains of hell, it would not appear so hard, if thereby we
might merit to see Christ in His glory, and to be added to His saints.”
GOSPEL.
Luke v. 1-11.
At that time, when the multitudes pressed upon Jesus
to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Genesareth. And saw two ships
standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing
their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon’s, He desired him to
draw back a little from the land. And sitting, He taught the multitudes out of
the ship. Now when He had ceased to speak, He said to Simon: Launch out into
the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said to
Him: Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing: but at Thy
word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very
great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they beckoned to their
partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And
they came and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sinking which
when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying: Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was wholly astonished, and all that were
with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so were also
James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. And Jesus saith
to Simon: Fear not: from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And having brought
their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed Him.
What may we learn from the multitudes who pressed on
Jesus to hear the word of God?
That we,
also, should hear the word of God with great zeal, since it conveys to men the
life of the soul and eternal happiness.
Why did Our Savior teach the multitude out of the
ship of St. Peter?
That, as
the ship is the figure of the Church, so we can receive the true doctrine from
that Church only of which Peter was the head (John xxi. 15 17). Amid all storms
Jesus has preserved, and will preserve, this ship of His Church, till the end
of time (Matt. xvi. 18). Peter yet stands at the helm, in the unbroken line of
his successors; Jesus yet teaches from the ship the same doctrines as before,
by the mouth of bishops and priests, the assistants of St. Peter’s successors,
and whoever hears them hears Him. Hear them, therefore, with willingness and docility.
What was signified by the great draught of fishes
which the apostles took, by the command of Jesus, after they had labored the
whole night in vain?
To the
disciples it was a type of their vocation, a pledge of their successful labors,
and at the same time a lesson how to labor so as to gain fruits. The exceeding
and wonderful abundance of the draught of fishes was to assure them that their
zealous labors to save souls should, in like manner, be crowned with rich
success. That, after laboring all the night in vain, they should at once take
so many fish, when they let down their nets at the word of Jesus, was to be to
them a lesson never to be forgotten, that they could work with blessing and
success only by relying, not on their own skill and painstaking, but only on
the might and blessing of the Lord.
What other lessons are to be drawn from this gospel?
We learn
that nothing has any value before God which is done from mere natural
inclination and human respect, that our labors are without merit if not
undertaken in the name of God, but that He does not permit the least work to be
in vain when undertaken without hesitation, relying on His assistance and for
His sake. That the disciples obeyed so quickly, teaches us to obey God at once,
to spare no sacrifice, to leave all quickly, and not to put off till to-morrow
what is to be done to-day. Finally, we may learn not to be proud of the success
of our labor, but, like Peter, to give glory to God, Who does such great
things, by cheerfully leaving all earthly things to follow Him.
Saint Aloysius
Gonzaga’s Story[4]
The Lord can make saints anywhere, even amid the
brutality and license of Renaissance life. Florence was the “mother of piety”
for Aloysius Gonzaga despite his exposure to a “society of fraud, dagger,
poison, and lust.” As a son of a princely family, he grew up in royal courts
and army camps. His father wanted Aloysius to be a military hero.
At age 7 Aloysius
experienced a profound spiritual quickening. His prayers included the Office of
Mary, the psalms, and other devotions. At age 9 he came from his hometown of
Castiglione to Florence to be educated; by age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor
children, fasting three days a week, and practicing great austerities. When he
was 13 years old, he traveled with his parents and the Empress of Austria to
Spain and acted as a page in the court of Philip II. The more Aloysius saw of
court life, the more disillusioned he became, seeking relief in learning about
the lives of saints.
A book about the experience
of Jesuit missionaries in India suggested to him the idea of entering the
Society of Jesus, and in Spain his decision became final. Now began a four-year
contest with his father. Eminent churchmen and laypeople were pressed into
service to persuade Aloysius to remain in his “normal” vocation. Finally, he
prevailed, was allowed to renounce his right to succession, and was received
into the Jesuit novitiate.
Like other seminarians,
Aloysius was faced with a new kind of penance—that of accepting different ideas
about the exact nature of penance. He was obliged to eat more, and to take
recreation with the other students. He was forbidden to pray except at stated
times. He spent four years studying philosophy and had Saint Robert Bellarmine
as his spiritual adviser.
In 1591,
a plague struck Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital of their own. The superior
general himself and many other Jesuits rendered personal service. Because he
nursed patients, washing them and making their beds, Aloysius caught the
disease. A fever persisted after his recovery, and he was so weak he could
scarcely rise from bed. Yet, he maintained his great discipline of prayer,
knowing that he would die within the octave of Corpus Christi, three months
later, at the age of 23.
Bible in a year Day 351 Draw Near to
God
Fr. Mike reflects on
the effects of wealth on our souls and our relationship with God. He emphasizes
the importance of resisting the devil and invites us to draw near to God
because he is constantly pursuing us, especially as we share in his suffering.
Today’s readings are James 3-5, Colossians 1-2, and Proverbs 30:7-9.
Father’s Day[5]
Father's Day is the day to
recognize, honor and celebrate the sacrifices and accomplishments of fathers.
In 1910, Washington State Governor declared Father's Day on the 19th of July.
It then became a permanent federal holiday in 1972 when President Richard
Nixon proclaimed that the third Sunday in June would be further known as
Father's Day. On this day, children celebrate their fathers and father
figures to show their love and appreciation.
Father's
Day Facts & Quotes
In 1966, President Lyndon B.
Johnson declared the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. It became a
permanent holiday in 1972 when President Richard Nixon proclaimed that the
third Sunday in June would remain Father's Day.
Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd first came
up with the idea for Father's Day after hearing a Mother's Day sermon in
church. She was raised by her father and wanted to honor him.
In 2014, 4% of all U.S. children
lived only with their fathers.
It is easier for a father to have
children than for children to have a real father. - Pope John XXIII
When one has not had a good father,
one must create one. - Frederich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Father's Day Top Events and Things to Do
Attend a Baseball game.
Father’s Day occurs in the midst of Baseball season.
Arrange a BBQ and invite all of the
fathers in your family.
Spend the day with Dad doing one of
his favorite activities: fishing, golfing, hiking.
Complete one of dad's chores or
projects as a surprise. If it's something you don't know how to do, offer to
help and learn.
Take the President's Fatherhood’s Pledge.
Teach justice,
prudence, temperance, and fortitude to children.
How to
Be a Good Father[6]
The father's role in our modern society has dwindled to almost nothing. But as a Christian the father's role is important in molding and giving example to his children, especially to his sons.
Probably
nobody denies that the typical father exercises less authority in his home
today than at any time in history. Reasons for this decline probably are of no
interest or help in the present discussion; but the effect of it cannot be
overlooked. For evidence accumulated by psychiatrists, social workers and
similar experts proves unmistakably that when children lack a strong father to
guide them, they suffer serious damage in many important ways. Consider these
facts:
There
is a startling growth in homosexual tendencies among the young, and most
authorities agree that the boy who develops feminine characteristics usually
has had unsatisfactory relations with his father in one or several important
respects. Increases in juvenile delinquency — a headlined trend
in every part of the country —
are also due to the weak position of the father; the lack of an affectionate
and understanding relationship between father and son is a prevalent
characteristic in the background of boys charged with criminal offenses. Many
authorities also blame the shocking rates of divorce and marriage breakdowns to
this cause. The fathers of those who cannot succeed in marriage often never
gave their children a realistic example of how a man should live with his wife
in this relationship.
The
importance of the father as an example of manhood to his son and daughter
probably cannot be overestimated. For example, one day your son may marry and
have a family. To be a successful father, he should know how to train his
children; how to treat his wife and their mother in their presence; what to
discuss with them about his work; how to show them manual skills, such as
repairing a chair or painting furniture; how to perform in countless other
important areas. The best way to learn how to act as a father is to observe one
in action.
What
ideals will he display as husband and father? To a large extent, that answer
will depend upon those he has learned from you, his father, in your own home.
What part will he play in the religious education of his children? The answer
will largely depend upon whether you have led the family to Mass each Sunday,
whether you say grace before meals in your home, whether you take an active
part in the spiritual life of your parish. How should he act toward his wife — aloof,
affectionate, domineering, docile? Here too the answer will mainly depend upon
your example.
The
adage, "Like father, like son," is firmly based on fact. No matter
how much he may resist your influence, your son will be like you in many
different ways. If your influence is wholesome, the effect upon him will be
wholesome. If you are a bad father, you will almost surely corrupt him in some
significant way. Remember also that you represent God before your child because
you are —
or should be —
the figure of authority in your home. He will be taught that he can always
depend upon the mercy and goodness of the eternal Father; but it will be
difficult for him to grasp the full importance of that teaching if he cannot
rely upon the goodness of his earthly father.
It
has been said that, in addition to giving wholesome example, a good father
follows four fundamental rules in his dealing with his children.
First, he shows himself to be truly
and sincerely interested in their welfare.
Secondly, he accepts each child for what he is, and encourages any special talent which the youngster possesses.
Thirdly, he takes an active part in
disciplining his children.
And finally, he keeps lines of
communication open with them at all times.
Each
of these rules is worth detailed consideration, because the typical American
father often ignores one or more of them.
1. Show an interest in your
child's welfare. You can do this by devoting time to him, every day if
possible. Try to discuss with him his experiences, problems, successes and
failures. By giving yourself to him in this intimate way, you give him the
feeling that he can always depend upon you to understand and help him in his
difficulties. In a large family, it is especially important that you
find time for intimate moments with each child. Every youngster should know
that his father is interested in him as an individual, and is sympathetic with
him and devoted to his welfare.
Modern fathers may find it more
difficult to make their children an intimate part of their lives than did men
of a few generations ago. Today's fathers often work many miles away from home.
They leave for their jobs early in the morning and do not return until late in
the evening, perhaps after the children are in bed. Unlike the men of an
earlier age who often worked close to their homes, today's fathers may seldom
see their youngsters during the week. To offset this condition, they should try
to devote as much of their weekends to them as possible. This does not mean
that you should be a "pal" to your children or that you must act like
a juvenile, when aging bones may not permit this. But at family gatherings,
picnics, trips to the ballpark or even visits to the school, you are sharing
leisure moments with them.
2. Accept your child and
encourage his talents. One man hoped for a son, and found it impossible
to conceal his disappointment when a girl was born. He now spends much time
trying to inculcate masculine virtues in her and berates her constantly because
she is not proficient at sports. A successful lawyer prides himself upon his
intellect and once hoped that his son would achieve great scholastic success.
But the lad, now in high school, has shown no pronounced ability in academic
work; however, he is skilled at working with his hands. He must face unending
sneers from his father about his "stupidity." A third man married a
beautiful woman and expected his daughters to be beauties too. One girl is
extremely plain, however. Even at the age of ten she knows that she is a
complete disappointment to her father.
All of these examples indicate ways
in which fathers display a lack of acceptance of their children. It is a fact
that the qualities a child inherits — his physical attributes,
aptitudes, and many other characteristics — are the result of chance. He may
be a genius or an idiot: you should not claim credit if the first possibility
occurs any more than you should feel ashamed for the second. The moral is
plain: your children are a gift from God, and you should always accept each
of them in a spirit of gratitude. In fact, the saintly father will accept a
defective child with greater gratitude, for God has offered him an opportunity
to provide more love, affection and direction than the ordinary youngster might
need.
Remember also that your child is an individual, with talents which you perhaps cannot appreciate. Let him develop them in the best way possible. In attempting to learn why many gifted children do not go to college, researchers have found that their parents often have actively discouraged them. In a typical case, a father became wealthy through real estate investments and could easily afford college for a son with a strong aptitude in science. But the father accused the boy of trying to "put on airs" whenever college was discussed. Thanks to him, the son is now a misfit.
3. Don't shirk unpleasant
tasks of parenthood. "See your mother; don't bother me" is a
remark commonly made by one type of father. He returns from work, eats his
dinner and then settles down to an evening behind his newspaper or before the
television screen. When his children seek his aid with their homework or when
they become unruly and require a strong parental hand, he is "too
busy" to pay attention. Such an attitude tells a child that his mother is
the true figure of importance in the family, while Dad is only the boarder who
pays the bills.
It is not fair for fathers to enjoy
all the pleasures of parenthood —
to play with the children, to boast about their growth — and to give
mothers all the painful duties. A father should discipline as often as the
mother. If he fails to do so, he gives the children the idea that he does not
stand with the mother in her efforts to instill proper manners and acceptable
forms of behavior. As a matter of fact, in major matters the good father is
likely to be the court of last resort. This is as it should be for his
authority is more impressive and its effect more lasting than that of the
mother.
4. Keep lines of
communication open with your children. Teenagers often say that they
cannot talk to their fathers about questions which disturb them. This breakdown
in communication usually stems from one of three factors, or a combination of
them. The father may be so severe in his discipline that he appears as a
dictator in the youngster's mind; in the past he has always been "too
busy" to keep on close terms with his boy; or he has not given his
youngster the respectful attention he should have.
Stalin-type fathers fortunately are
on the way out in America, for most men have learned that it is easier to train
a child with loving kindness than with brute force. But some stern unyielding
fathers remain. They may beat their child into patterns of behavior that offend
no one, but in the process, they often create a bitter adult who is never
able to confide fully in another human being.
The second and third possible
explanations for a child's unwillingness or inability to confide in his father
may have even worse effects than the first. In the first instance, unless the
father is a calloused brute, his child may at least discern evidence that his
father is interested in his welfare. But when a father does not even care
enough to concern himself with the child's upbringing in any serious way, he
evidences a complete absence of love or interest.
There
are many things that human beings prefer to keep to themselves, and it is
probably good that this is so. Your child should not feel that he must
lay bare his innermost thoughts and desires. But he should know that in times
of stress and strain he has a sympathetic and loving adviser to turn to. You
will fulfill that role if you strive always to treat him with courtesy and
sympathy, and with an understanding based upon your memory of the difficulties,
problems, fears and aspirations of your own boyhood. Never ridicule him:
it is the opposite of sympathy and probably locks more doors between father and
son than any other action.
Activity Source: Catholic
Family Handbook, The by Rev. George A. Kelly, Random House, Inc., New York,
1959
Summer Solstice[7
The summer
solstice, the day when light is at its peak, symbolizes the Divine Light that
Christ brings into the world. From this day forward, as the daylight decreases,
it mirrors John's decreasing role, creating a poetic symmetry between the
cosmos and the Christian narrative.[8]
The
Summer Solstice marks the beginning of the summer season in the Northern
Hemisphere. On this day, the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun at the
highest degree of angle. Places in the Northern Hemisphere experience the
longest hours of sunlight throughout the year on this day. The history of the
Summer Solstice is rooted in both ancient mysticism and nature. This day takes
place somewhere around June 20th or 21st each year.
Summer Solstice Facts
On
the Summer Solstice, the North Pole receives 24 hours of daylight, and the
South Pole receives 24 hours of darkness.
Solstice
comes from the Latin words for "Sun" and "to stop."
Many
Native American tribes celebrated the Summer Solstice by holding "sun
dances".
On
the summer solstice, the Earth's axis is tilted the most, up to 26°.
Summer Solstice Top Events and
Things to Do
Host
a bonfire to celebrate the arrival of summer.
Visit
Stonehenge and take the Summer Solstice Tour.
Go
fishing - it is the longest fishing day of the year.
Visit
the polar circle and enjoy nearly 24 hours of daylight.
Remember at the South Pole it is a day of total darkness,
International Yoga Day[9]
International
Yoga Day celebrates a practice that began in ancient India as a unified
physical, mental, and spiritual discipline. In 2014, India’s Prime Minister
proposed a global day dedicated to yoga as a symbol of peace and cooperation,
and the United Nations adopted it that same year. Today, yoga is one of the
most widespread wellness activities in the world, promoted as a pathway to
physical health, emotional balance, and even global harmony.
For
Catholics, participation requires discernment. The Church makes a crucial
distinction: the physical postures themselves are not inherently problematic,
but the spiritual worldview embedded in yoga is incompatible with Christian
faith. Many practitioners admit that separating the stretches from the
meditative framework is difficult, sometimes impossible. Mantras such as So’ham—“I
am the universal self”—express a theology of self‑divinization, which
contradicts the Christian call to worship God rather than the self. Pope
Benedict XVI warned that authentic Christian prayer “flees from impersonal
techniques or from concentrating on oneself,” because such practices can trap
the soul in a closed circuit of self‑focus rather than opening it to the living
God. If a Catholic seeks “peace” through yoga’s spiritual techniques, he is
seeking peace from the wrong source.
This same
discernment applies to the new wave of nervous‑system devices—vagus‑nerve
stimulators, TACSTIM, breathwork apps, and other tools marketed as gateways to
calm, clarity, or “inner alignment.” These devices act on the body’s
physiology, not the soul. A vagus‑nerve stimulator uses mild electrical pulses
to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering stress and improving
recovery. TACSTIM uses patterned vibration to regulate emotional responses.
These tools can be helpful when used as technology, not spirituality. The
danger arises when they are packaged with pseudo‑religious language—“awaken
your inner divinity,” “activate cosmic energy,” “merge with universal
consciousness.” The device is neutral; the ideology is not. A Catholic may use
the tool, but must reject the spiritual counterfeit.
Yet the
desire to unite physical discipline with prayer is not only legitimate—it is
deeply Christian. This is why movements like SoulCore emerged, blending
isometric exercise with the Rosary. Its founders, Deanne Miller and Colleen
Scariano, emphasize strengthening the body and soul together, becoming “fully
alive” through prayer‑anchored movement. This approach keeps the focus on
Christ, not on self‑transcendence or impersonal energy. It is a model of how
Catholics can reclaim the body without surrendering the soul.
And of
course, there is always the Universal Man Plan, which integrates physical
training, nervous‑system regulation, virtue, and prayer without borrowing from
foreign spiritual systems. It forms a man from the inside out—rooted in grace,
disciplined in body, and ordered toward God alone. In a world filled with
spiritual counterfeits and technological self‑help, the Universal Man Plan
keeps the hierarchy intact: God above all, virtue before technique, tools
serving the soul—not replacing it.
Around the Corner
·
Bucket Item trip: Hong Kong for Dragon Race
o
Dragon Boat Races—June 21--Visit Hong Kong to
experience the excitement of the Duanwu Festival, celebrated on the fifth day
of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. The festival includes
dragon boat races in Aberdeen -- one of the first places to host these races in
Hong Kong. Fishermen believe that rowing dragon boats during the Duanwu
Festival will bring them luck
·
Foodie Dragon
Race
o Go to Chinese Buffet
o And see how many turns you make
around the buffet table
·
Always fight with the deep
conviction that I am with you.
Christians are to fight against all demonic tactics—resist!
·
Bucket Item
trip: Pilgrimage-Jakobswege in
Brandenburg
National
Seashell Day-Approved by Jim Comey
Enthrone
the Sacred Heart in your home.
Foodie: Wagyu on German Grill
Daily
Devotions
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Growth
of Catholic Families and Households
Litany
of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
[1] McCain, John and Salter, Mark. (2005)
Character is destiny. Random House, New York
[3] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
* http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/postpentecostschema.htm
[5] https://www.wincalendar.com/Fathers-Day
[6]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=128
PATTERNS (1956)
Van Heflin • Ed Begley • Everett Sloane
Directed by Fielder Cook
Written by Rod Serling
A skyscraper becomes a battlefield,
and the American corporation reveals its teeth.
Patterns is not merely a drama —
it is a dissection of ambition, cruelty, and conscience
performed under fluorescent lights
in offices too bright to hide the truth.
Heflin’s quiet strength, Begley’s wounded dignity,
and Sloane’s icy brilliance
turn the boardroom into a moral arena.
Every scene tightens the pressure
between success and sacrifice,
between the man you want to be
and the man the world demands you become.
There is no glamour here —
only the brutal arithmetic of power,
the cost of climbing,
and the slow erosion of the soul
when a man trades compassion for advancement.
And then the reckoning —
not heroic,
but necessary —
the kind that forces a man
to choose who he will be
before the world chooses for him.
1. Production & Historical Setting
A Corporate Drama That Cut Too Close
Released in 1956, Patterns began as a live television play
that stunned audiences with its honesty.
Rod Serling exposed the ruthless machinery
of post‑war corporate America —
a world where profit eclipsed people
and loyalty was a liability.
Sloane: The Cold Logic of Power
Everett Sloane’s Walter Ramsey is terrifyingly controlled —
a man who believes efficiency is virtue
and mercy is weakness.
He is the face of ambition without conscience.
Begley: The Human Cost
Ed Begley’s Bill Briggs is the old guard —
loyal, decent, compassionate —
and therefore expendable.
His slow breaking is the film’s open wound.
Heflin: The Man in the Middle
Van Heflin’s Fred Staples is every modern professional —
talented, ambitious, conflicted —
caught between the lure of success
and the demands of his own integrity.
2. Story Summary
A Promotion with a Price
Fred Staples joins the Ramsey Corporation
only to discover he was hired
to replace Bill Briggs —
a man still occupying the chair.
Humiliation as Strategy
Ramsey undermines Briggs publicly,
cuts him down privately,
and isolates him systematically
until the pressure becomes unbearable.
A Crisis of Conscience
Staples sees the cruelty,
feels the injustice,
and realizes that silence
makes him complicit.
The Breaking Point
The conflict erupts in a confrontation
that strips away corporate polish
and reveals the raw moral stakes
beneath the spreadsheets.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Ambition Without Virtue
Success becomes a false god
when it demands the sacrifice of the innocent.
B. The Weight of Witness
Staples learns that watching injustice
is its own form of participation.
C. The Dignity of the Wounded
Briggs shows that suffering borne with integrity
is stronger than power wielded without mercy.
D. The Seduction of Power
Ramsey embodies the lie
that results justify cruelty.
E. The Call to Moral Leadership
The film insists that leadership
is not about rising above others
but refusing to step on them.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Boardroom After Hours
Drink: A rye Manhattan — sharp, disciplined,
the taste of ambition tempered by reflection.
Plate: A cold roast‑beef sandwich —
the late‑night fuel of men wrestling with decisions
that will outlive them.
Atmosphere: A dim office,
city lights flickering through glass,
the hum of a building that never sleeps.
Symbol: A single fountain pen on a polished desk —
the instrument of decisions
that shape destinies quietly.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I tempted to trade compassion for advancement.
Whose suffering have I ignored because it was inconvenient.
What patterns of ambition shape my choices without my consent.
Where must I speak, even if it costs me.
What kind of leader am I becoming when no one is watching.
Comments
Post a Comment