Thursday, July 2, 2026
July 2 — Day 9 of the Nine Days
The Jordan as Revelation “I saw the Spirit descend and remain.”
If Day 4 is the Surrender, Day 5 the Joy that follows surrender, Day 6 the Witness that flows from joy, Day 7 the Decrease that makes witness possible, Day 8 the Identity revealed through decrease, then Day 9 is the Revelation that crowns the whole journey.
John’s mission reaches its summit not in speaking, not in baptizing, not in calling Israel to repentance — but in recognizing.
He sees the Spirit descend. He sees the Spirit remain. He sees the Lamb for who He truly is.
Revelation is clarity — the moment when what was always present finally becomes visible.
And on this day in American history, clarity also arrived: the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 2, the true birth‑moment of the nation. It was printed and publicly proclaimed on July 4, the day the world heard what had already been decided.
Revelation works the same way: God acts first, and only later do we see it.
A nation approaching its 250th year needs this grace again — to recognize what God is doing before the world prints it, before the noise interprets it, before the moment passes unseen.
Revelation is not information. It is sight restored.
Prayer
Jesus, open my eyes to see You as You are. Let the Spirit descend upon my life and remain. Do this in my nation: restore our sight, renew our vision, and reveal again the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
SMOKE IN THIS LIFE, NOT THE NEXT
Virtue — Holy Fear & Exact Justice
Cigar — A pungent, earthy Maduro (dark, heavy, carrying the scent of decay — a fitting counterpoint to the corpse flower)
Pour — Fernet-Branca (bitter, medicinal, a draught that tastes like penance itself)
Reflection
Angela Tholomei returned from death trembling. Those who saw her penances — fire, ashes, burning flesh — rebuked her for excess. She answered only:
“If you knew the rigours of the judgments of God, you would not speak thus.”
Her “excesses” were nothing, she said, compared to what she had witnessed — not the torments of great sinners, but the chastisements reserved for the slightest faults in a fervent soul.
Tonight’s Maduro carries the scent of earth and endings — a reminder that corruption begins quietly. The Fernet burns like a warning swallowed whole.
Some flowers bloom with the stench of death. Some saints return from death carrying its truth.
Purgatory Line The smallest fault becomes unbearable when seen in the light of God’s justice.
Introduction to
Nehemiah
Nehemiah
enters Scripture as a Hebrew cupbearer serving a Persian king,
Artaxerxes — a ruler whose dynasty was known for mercy, restoration, and
surprising kindness toward conquered peoples. Persia was the empire that
returned exiles, rebuilt temples, and allowed nations to reclaim their
identity. Into this setting, Nehemiah receives a divine burden: Jerusalem lies
in ruins, its walls broken, its people vulnerable. The Catechism says, “God’s
providence leads all things toward their proper end,” and Nehemiah’s story
begins with that providence already at work in the heart of a foreign king.
The book
opens with Calm, not because Nehemiah feels no fear, but because he
refuses to let fear silence him. When Artaxerxes notices his sorrow, Nehemiah
is “seized with great fear,” yet he speaks anyway. His calm is the courage to
stand before power with trust in God’s unseen hand. This is the first lesson of
Nehemiah: fear is not the enemy — paralysis is. The Catechism teaches, “God
can act in the hearts of men,” and Nehemiah’s calm rests on that truth.
From calm
flows Clarity. Nehemiah names the truth without venom: “How could I
not look sad when the city of my ancestors lies in ruins?” He does not
manipulate, accuse, or dramatize. He simply reveals the wound. Clarity is the
spiritual discipline of naming what is broken without attacking people. The
Catechism says, “Truth is beautiful in itself,” and Nehemiah’s clarity
is the beauty of honest grief spoken with reverence.
Then comes Confrontation
— not of the king, but of evil itself. Nehemiah confronts despair, ruin,
injustice, and the spiritual lethargy of a people who have forgotten who they
are. He confronts the external enemies who mock, threaten, and plot against the
rebuilding. He confronts the internal corruption of Israel’s own nobles who
exploit the poor, charge predatory interest, and force families to pawn their
land to survive. The Catechism teaches, “Sin creates a rupture,” and
Nehemiah confronts that rupture with moral fire.
The
rebuilding of the wall becomes an act of spiritual warfare. Gentile leaders —
Ammonites, Samaritans, Arabs — attempt to derail the project through
intimidation, slander, and political manipulation. Nehemiah responds with
prayer in one hand and a sword in the other. His workers build with trowels and
stand guard with spears. This is confrontation at its purest: rebuilding what
evil has broken while refusing to be intimidated by those who profit from ruin.
The Catechism says, “The victory over evil was won by Christ’s obedience,”
and Nehemiah’s obedience participates in that same victory.
Once the
walls rise, Nehemiah turns inward to confront the spiritual decay of his own
people. He rebukes the nobles for oppressing the poor. He restores justice. He
calls Ezra to read the Law aloud so the people can rediscover their identity.
He breaks up marriages that were leading Israel into idolatry. He refuses to
let the community drift back into the sins that destroyed them in the first
place. This is confrontation as purification — the hard work of shaping a holy
people.
In the end,
Nehemiah emerges as a leader who embodies Calm, Clarity, and Confrontation.
Calm before power. Clarity before truth. Confrontation before evil. He rebuilds
a city, restores a people, and resists every attempt to derail God’s work. And
he is the first to admit that every victory belongs to God alone. The Catechism
affirms, “God’s grace goes before us,” and Nehemiah’s life is the living
proof.
JULY 2 Thursday Fifth Week of
Pentecost
Nehemiah, Chapter 2, Verse 1-3
In the month Nisan of
the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when the wine was in my charge, I took
some and offered it to the king. Because I had never before been sad in his
presence, the
king asked me, “Why do you look sad? If you are not sick, you must be sad at
heart.” Though I was seized with great FEAR,
I answered the king:
“May the king live forever! How could I not look sad when the city where my
ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates consumed by fire?”
Here
the God of God’s moves the heart of a great and powerful King toward Nehemiah
like He did with Joseph the many years before when he was sold into slavery by
his brothers. Our God is a God of love and life and desires only to nurture our
souls.
25 Ways to Nurture Your Soul[1]
1. Take walks in
nature and notice everything.
2. Engage in
creative art eg. create a scrapbook from your favorite photos.
3. Sing in the
shower, the car, the bedroom, anywhere!
4. Listen to
soothing music.
5. Put on some
music and dance.
6. Read a good
fictional book.
7. Savor every
bite of your meal.
8. Meditate in
serene surroundings.
9. Soak in a
bubble bath.
10. Go on a
relaxing vacation.
11. Bake a cake.
12. Visit a
museum or an art gallery.
13. Watch a comedy. Laugh!
14. Write poetry.
15. Do a random
act of kindness.
16. Daydream.
17. Play the
violin or any musical instrument.
18. Connect with
your romantic partner via an engaging conversation over tea.
19. Connect with God.
20. Make peace
with the person you just fought with.
21. Volunteer
your services to a non-profit organization and not just via a monetary
donation.
22. Play with
your kids.
23. Journal or
write creatively.
24. Say yes to a
new adventure!
25. Find every reason to celebrate and feel the joy when you do!
Copilot’s Take
Nehemiah’s quiet courage before King Artaxerxes reveals
a pattern every believer can learn when facing the brokenness of the world. He
enters the royal court carrying a sorrow he can no longer hide, yet he does not
enter in panic or disorder. His heart trembles, but his spirit remains
anchored. This is the first grace God gives to those He sends into difficult
places: the grace of calm. Evil thrives on agitation, but God works through the
soul that refuses to be ruled by fear. The Catechism teaches that emotions like
fear only become harmful when they pull the heart away from trust in God (ccc
1765). Nehemiah shows that calm is not the absence of emotion but the presence
of God.
From that calm comes clarity. When the king asks why he is sad, Nehemiah answers with clean, unpoisoned truth. He does not rant, accuse, or exaggerate. He simply names the wound: Jerusalem lies in ruins. Clarity is a spiritual weapon. It cuts through confusion and invites others into reality without attacking them. The Catechism reminds believers that truth has a moral force of its own and must be spoken with charity (ccc 2467). Many spiritual battles are lost not because evil is too strong, but because the righteous become muddled or reactive. Nehemiah teaches that clarity is strength, and truth spoken plainly carries divine authority.
Only after calm and clarity does Nehemiah confront. His
request to rebuild Jerusalem is bold, even dangerous, yet he delivers it with
respect: “May the king live forever.” This is not flattery but spiritual
discipline. He honors the dignity of the person even as he challenges the
injustice. This is the hardest part of confronting evil — opposing the darkness
without despising the person standing in it. The Catechism warns that evil must
be resisted, but never with hatred toward the person (ccc 1866). Nehemiah
models courage without contempt, strength without scorn, truth without hatred.
This is the posture God can use.
And God does use it. The same God who moved Pharaoh for
Joseph now moves Artaxerxes for Nehemiah. God does not require perfect vessels
to accomplish perfect justice; He requires faithful ones. When a believer
stands before power with a nurtured soul, a clear mind, and a courageous heart,
heaven bends the course of earthly events. Nehemiah’s calm, clarity, and
confrontation become the doorway through which God begins the rebuilding of a
ruined city.
This is why nurturing the soul matters so deeply.
Practices such as walking in nature, praying in silence, creating beauty,
forgiving quickly, and delighting in God are not luxuries — they are spiritual
training. A soul that is tended becomes a soul capable of standing before kings
without trembling. These small acts of care form the interior scaffolding that
allows a person to confront evil without becoming its mirror. They prepare the
heart to speak truth without venom and to act with courage without hostility.
Nehemiah rebuilt walls of stone, but God is rebuilding
walls within every believer — walls of peace, discernment, and holy strength.
Calm steadies the spirit. Clarity sharpens the vision. Confrontation, offered
with humility, becomes an instrument of God’s justice. When these three
movements work together, evil loses its grip, not because it is overpowered,
but because it is denied the chaos it feeds on.
This is the invitation of Nehemiah’s moment before the
king: nurture the soul, anchor deeply in God, and then step forward with the
quiet courage that moves heaven. When calm, clarity, and confrontation meet in
a heart surrendered to God, even the hearts of kings begin to shift.
Bible in a year Day 362 The
Woman Clothed with the Sun
Fr. Mike continues to interpret the symbols within Revelation. He
compares story of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the woman in Revelation. Fr. Mike
provides context to the letter to the Hebrews, a letter that makes the case for
Jesus, explaining who he is and the beauty of what he did for us. Today’s
readings are Revelation 12-14, Hebrews 1-4, and Proverbs 31:16-18.
Around the Corner
Thursday Feast
Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave
himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some
theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We
should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed
sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not
plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal.
Be at Peace.
According to Mary
Agreda[2] in
her visions it was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the
approach of night that the Angel Gabriel approached and announced her as Mother
of God and she gave her fiat.
Wolfgang Puck Thursday
Feast
Corn and Bacon Soup with Jalapeño Crema
Hot Dog Melts
Pork Schnitzel
with Warm Potato Salad
Espresso-Chocolate
Semifreddo
Places to Visit in July[3]
Monterey, California
I was super keen to see Monterey and the historic
Cannery Row Historic District, and when I visited, I knew it had to be included
on this list!
Summer doesn’t get too hot here, but the weather is
pleasant, and I loved its unique boutique hotels, cute independent shops, and
relaxed seafood restaurants where I could gaze at the waves and ocean views
while dining.
I recommend walking through Monterey State Historic
Park to see some of the area’s oldest and most significant buildings, including
the cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo (the oldest in California).
Plenty of outdoor pursuits are available, with
excellent surfing and wildlife spotting along the Monterey Bay Coastal
Recreational Trail and The Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary.
Visitor’s
Center Address: 419 Webster St Suite 100, Monterey, CA 93940
Average temperature – 68 degrees
My favorite highlights…
Wandering
around the setting for John Steinbeck’s novel, Cannery Row Downtown, which was
filled with cool shops and restaurants.
Taking in the
coastline views at Point Sur Lightstation, a historic landmark overlooking the
ocean.
Check out the
Monterey Museum of Art, which is home to over 14,000 pieces.
National Synesthesia Awareness Day
A rare neurological condition that
blends sensory information through unexpected places, synesthesia impacts up to
4% of the population. This genetic condition causes individuals to experience
unique combinations of senses, or more than one sense at the same time. For
example, this might include seeing shapes when a person hears music, tasting a
certain food when seeing a word, or experiencing music as a color.
National Synesthesia Awareness Day
is here to increase knowledge and understanding about this fascinating anomaly
and show some appreciation for those who experience it!
Foodie- Bouillabaisse
Bucket List Trip: “The World” next port of call: Cannes,
France
Celebrate the
Ommegang Pageant
Spirit Hour: Ricard
Daily
Devotions
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Restoring
the Church
Litany
of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
[1] https://www.evelynlim.com/25-ways-to-nurture-your-soul/
[2] Venerable Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God:
Complete Edition Containing all Four Volumes with Illustrations (p. 770).
Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition
THE STRANGER (1946)
Orson Welles • Edward G. Robinson • Loretta Young Directed by Orson Welles Colorized Edition
A film steeped in shadow and post‑war unease, The Stranger is not merely a crime thriller. It is a meditation on evil that hides in plain sight and the courage required to expose it.
Orson Welles plays Franz Kindler — a Nazi architect of genocide who slips into small‑town America under the name Charles Rankin. His charm is polished, his manners impeccable, his darkness buried beneath civility.
Edward G. Robinson’s Mr. Wilson is the quiet, relentless conscience of the film — a man who refuses to be deceived by the masks evil wears.
Loretta Young’s Mary is the soul in peril — innocent, trusting, slowly awakening to the truth that the man she married is not the man he seems.
Beneath the suspense lies a deeper truth: evil rarely announces itself. It whispers. It blends. It hides behind respectability until someone brave enough names it.
1. Production & Cultural Setting
America After the War
Released in 1946, the film confronts a nation still reckoning with the horrors of the Holocaust. Welles forces audiences to face a chilling possibility: that evil can cross oceans, change its clothes, and move next door.
Welles: The Charming Monster
His performance is controlled, elegant, and terrifying in its restraint.
Robinson: The Moral Pursuer
He embodies the slow, steady light that exposes what darkness tries to hide.
2. Story Summary
The Escape
A high‑ranking Nazi flees justice and buries himself in a quiet Connecticut town.
The Marriage
He weds Mary, whose innocence becomes both shield and danger.
The Investigation
Mr. Wilson arrives, following the faintest trail of truth.
The Unmasking
As lies unravel, the clock tower becomes the stage for a final reckoning.
3. Moral & Emotional Resonances
A. Evil Mimics the Good
Kindler hides behind charm, intellect, and civic virtue.
B. Truth Requires Persistence
Wilson wins not by force but by refusing to look away.
C. Innocence Is Not Weakness
Mary’s awakening is the film’s moral center.
D. Justice Is Slow but Certain
Time — symbolized by the clock tower — brings all lies into the light.
E. Marriage as Spiritual Battleground
Mary’s trust becomes the terrain where deception and truth collide.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night of Shadow & Revelation
Drink: Black coffee or a rye Manhattan — sharp, clarifying, uncompromising. Plate: Pot roast with root vegetables — small‑town comfort with hidden tension. Atmosphere: One lamp in a dark room, a ticking clock, long shadows. Symbol: A pocket watch — time exposing what evil tries to conceal.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where am I tempted to ignore small signs of hidden wrong.
What masks do I still wear to avoid being known.
Who in my life needs the steady courage of a Mr. Wilson.
Where is God asking me to confront deception with truth.
What “clock tower” moment is approaching in my own story.
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