Thursday, June 18, 2026
Smoke in This Life — June 18
The Best of Cheap Bourbon & Cigars
A cheap bourbon that burns,
a rough cigar that bites —
good reminders that grace is costly.
A soul once lifted from her body
was shown Heaven’s joy,
Purgatory’s flames,
and the faces of those she had known.
The Lord offered her Heaven now
or suffering on earth
to free the souls she pitied.
She chose to return.
She chose pain over rest,
charity over comfort,
salvation over self.
That is the hidden strength God asks of us —
to hurt a little
so someone else can rise.
Reflection Question:
Who needs my sacrifice today so their soul can breathe again.
JUNE
18 Thursday Third Week after Pentecost
International
Picnic Day-World Tapas Day
Sirach, Chapter 48, Verse 12
When Elijah was enveloped in the
whirlwind, Elisha was filled with his spirit; He worked twice as many marvels,
and every utterance of his mouth was wonderful. During his lifetime he FEARED no one, nor was anyone able to
intimidate his will.
Is
there anything that threatens or frightens you?
Are
there bullies or organizations (IRS/FBI/CIA) that scare you?
Does
the threat of terrorism or the coercing by dark government out of control worry
you?
Then welcome to the 21st Century. We need
the spirit of Elisha so that all may know that we feared no one in our lifetime
and were not daunted by threats nor were we overawed by demonstrations of power
and that we are resolute in our following of the gospel.
O LORD,
you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you
understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with
all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O
LORD, you know the whole of it. Behind me and before, you hem me in and rest
your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to
attain. (Ps. 139:1-6)
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence[1]. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” (Mt. 23:23-26) Kingdom of heaven. (Mt. 5:3)
Elisha stands in Scripture as the man who would not
bend. Sirach remembers him as one who “feared no one” and whose will could not
be intimidated. That is not bravado; it is the fruit of a soul rooted in God.
The Catechism calls this fortitude—firmness in difficulties and constancy in
the pursuit of the good (CCC 1808). In an age where intimidation comes not
from kings but from bureaucracies, algorithms, and the constant hum of crisis,
the spirit of Elisha is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
We live in a century where fear is marketed like a
product. Agencies, institutions, and shadowy threats—foreign or domestic—can
loom large in the imagination. The Catechism is blunt about this: authority is
legitimate only when it serves the common good (CCC 1902), and when it does
not, the Christian obeys God rather than men (CCC 2242). But the deeper truth
is this: fear is not the Christian’s operating system. Hope is. Trust is. The
quiet knowledge that God hems us in behind and before, as Psalm 139 sings, is
what steadies the heart when the world tries to rattle it.
Christ’s rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 23 cuts
through every age. Evil is not confronted first by shouting at the world but by
cleansing the inside of the cup. The Catechism echoes this interior priority:
conscience must remain free, uncoerced, and anchored in truth (CCC 1780–1781).
A man who has allowed God to purify the interior life becomes un-intimidatable.
He is not reckless; he is simply not owned by fear.
And yet, today is International Picnic Day. That may
seem trivial beside Elijah’s whirlwind and Christ’s woes, but it is not. A
picnic is a small act of defiance against the age of anxiety. It is a
declaration that creation is still good, that families still gather under the
open sky, and that joy is not surrendered to tyrants, terrorists, or
bureaucrats. The Catechism calls peace “the tranquility of order” (CCC 2304). A
picnic is a quiet, embodied version of that order—bread broken in the open,
laughter unmonitored, life lived without flinching.
To confront evil and still spread a blanket on the
grass is not contradiction. It is Christian maturity. Elisha with a picnic
basket is not a joke; it is a symbol. The man who fears God alone can enjoy the
world without being owned by it. He can resist intimidation without becoming
hardened, and he can savor simple joys without becoming naïve. That is the
balance the Gospel demands: courage without bitterness, vigilance without
paranoia, joy without escapism.
So the prayer becomes simple: Lord, grant me the
spirit of Elisha—that I may fear no one, bow to no intimidation, confront evil
with a clean heart, and still rejoice in the gifts You scatter across the
ordinary day.
International Picnic Day[2]
International Picnic Day
celebrates gathering together outdoors to eat and enjoy one another's company,
which has traditionally been called Picnic. The true origin of
International Picnic Day is unknown, but can be traced back to the end of the
French Revolution and the Victorian Era. Picnics were ways for people to
escape the restrictions of etiquette and formality. As an informal food
holiday, there are few rules and lots of options. International Picnic
Day is observed on June 18th each year.
International
Picnic Day Facts & Quotes
According to
Guinness World Records, the largest picnic took place in Portugal, 2009. 22,232
people participated. Two other records were set during that same event, largest
litter bin and loudest applause.
The use of the
phrase no picnic is used to describe something unenjoyable.
Picnic was
most likely invented by the French. Shortly after the French Revolution
ended, the Royal Gardens were opened to the public for the first time. It was
the new common pastime for the French to visit the gardens and take along a
meal.
You can plan a
pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather. - Andre 3000 (song 'Ms.
Jackson')
A few sandwiches
short of a picnic. - is a phrase used to describe someone who is not mentally
together.
International
Picnic Day Top Events and Things to Do
Arrange a picnic with friends in the nearby park. Prepare food beforehand and enjoy eating in the nature.
Take a Frisbee or a
ball and play sport games after eating.
Bring a music player
with you and listen to your favorite music while enjoying the food and
conversation.
Search on the
internet for new food recipes and prepare new easy dishes for your picnic. Make
a contest for the best recipe.
Bible in a year Day 348 Rules for the
New Life
Fr. Mike highlights a
secret to holiness visible in Paul’s ability to see his arduous trip to Rome as
the will of God. He also clears up confusion in regards to Paul’s direction for
wives to be subject to their husbands, again drawing our attention to our call
to love and serve while being subject to each other out of reverence for
Christ. Today’s readings are Acts 27, Ephesians 4-6, and Proverbs 29:22-24.
Around the Corner
Do
not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you. Choose
to walk in faith. Resist the spirit of curiosity.
Fairness is giving
animals their due too this is “Responsible Animal Guardian Month”.do a personal eucharistic stations of
the cross.
Bucket
List Trip: National Oceans Month:
“The
World” next port of call: Palma de Mallorca
Spirit
Hour: Palma Cocktails
Catholic Recipe: Veal Stew in Milk
Thursday Feast
According to Mary Agreda[3] 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.
Thursday
Feast
Pizza al Taglio With Onion and Provolone
Best Places to
Visit in June
Texas
Hill Country[4]
This
region is a beautiful mix of natural landmarks, picturesque small towns, and
historical attractions, and I’m a huge fan!
Texas
Hill Country is packed with rich history and culture and filled with scenic
rivers, lovely lakes, rugged terrain, and beautiful flora. There are plenty of
outdoor adventures here, from hiking to wildlife spotting.
Temperatures
warm the state in the shoulder season from late March
to this month, with warm sunshine and an average of 86 degrees during spring.
I
highly recommend not missing the Kerrville Folk Festival or, if you arrive
early enough, the Strawberry Festival, hiking, biking, floating, or soaking in
the warm Texas sunshine before the searing summers start!
Visitor’s Centre Address: 160 Ingram Hills Rd,
Ingram, TX 78025, Phone: +1 830-367-2151
Average temperature – 86 degrees
My favorite
highlights…
Visiting the magical enchanted rock formed from
pink granite (one of the largest in the country).
Discovering what is in the Cave Without a Name –
a unique spot 80 feet below the ground.
Stopping at the many quirky roadside
attractions!
The Baba Goes Flying
It was a long trip, and my older sister was
tired and cranky and refused to stop crying once the fam got settled in a hotel
room for $16.00 a night. At that time, my sister had a comfort pillow my Aunt
Linda had made for her which was called the “Baba”. My father, being frustrated
with her refusal to stop crying suddenly picked up the “Baba” which had a loose
string and tried the string around his finger and threatened to throw my “Baba”
off the third-floor balcony if she did not stop crying. That of course made it
worse, and she screamed even louder. Then my father, true to his word threw the
“Baba” for a flight and when it got to the end of the string the string broke,
and the “Baba” flew out the balcony and landed on the balcony on the second
floor. She screamed louder.
My mother had had it with my father and told
him that he had better get the “Baba” back or else shit would happen. So, my
father and mother, and Tweedle De and Tweedle Da all went down to the room
under them. My father knocked. No answer. So, then he knocked again. No answer.
My father tried the door it opened and looking inside could see the “Baba” out
on the balcony. Bracing himself he entered the room holding my sisters hand
with my mother cradling my brother behind him. My father stated that they made
it about 1/3 in when he noticed a head raising off the pillow of the bed and
then in comical fashion, he backed up almost knocking my mother down. They all
ran back upstairs. Now my sister screamed even louder, and my mother really let
him have it. My father was really
frustrated and did not know what to do. Going out on the balcony he noticed
that there was a trellis rising from the ground floor going up to the balcony
right next to the Tapas Bar. My father, the criminal that he was, marched out
there, climbed the trellis retrieved the “Baba” and saved the day. My sister
still screamed all night. After that my father went down to the bar and ate
tapas acting as if nothing happened. I wonder if there is a tapa called “Baba”.
Daily
Devotions
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Absent
Fathers (physically & spiritually)
Litany
of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
[1] The power to change self-indulgent behavior is in
believing a different promise for happiness. That’s what Jesus meant in Luke
9:23–25: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
[3] 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 PROWLER (1951)
Van Heflin • Evelyn Keyes
Directed by Joseph Losey
A post‑war noir with a cold, hungry pulse,
The Prowler lives in the shadowed corners
of American respectability —
a world where a badge can hide ambition,
and a lonely woman can become a man’s opportunity.
It isn’t a crime thriller so much as a study
of what happens when desire is allowed to metastasize —
when a man decides he deserves more
than the life he has been given,
and a woman’s vulnerability becomes the doorway
to his ruin.
A policeman who wants comfort without earning it.
A wife trapped in a quiet, airless marriage.
A seduction that begins with sympathy
and ends with conspiracy.
And the grim truth that once a man lies to himself,
he will lie to anyone.
There is no glamour here —
just envy, loneliness, and the slow corrosion
of two souls who mistake longing for love.
And then the reckoning comes —
not with justice,
but with the collapse of the fantasy
they tried to build on stolen ground.
1. Production & Historical Setting
Post‑War Disillusionment and the Dark Side of Authority
Released in 1951, the film sits in the uneasy years
when America was outwardly prosperous
but inwardly anxious.
The movie exposes the cracks in the façade —
the mistrust of institutions,
the fear of corruption,
the suspicion that the man in uniform
might be the real danger.
Van Heflin: The Hungry Everyman
Heflin plays Webb Garwood with chilling ordinariness —
a man whose ambition curdles into entitlement,
whose charm masks a predator’s patience.
Evelyn Keyes: The Isolated Heart
Keyes gives Susan Gilvray a fragile, aching realism —
a woman starved for affection,
easy to manipulate,
and tragically unaware of the darkness she invites in.
2. Story Summary
A Call for Help That Opens a Door
A late‑night report of a prowler
brings Officer Webb Garwood into Susan’s home —
and into her loneliness.
A Seduction Built on Weakness
Webb sees opportunity.
Susan sees attention.
Their affair becomes a trap
woven from need, resentment, and secrecy.
A Plan That Turns to Poison
Webb’s desire for Susan — and for her husband’s wealth —
drives him toward a deadly “solution.”
Each step deeper makes the next step easier.
A Ghost Town Reckoning
The final act unfolds in a barren desert town,
where the lies collapse,
the mask slips,
and Webb’s hunger finally consumes him.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. The Corrosion of Envy
Desire without virtue becomes predation.
B. The Danger of Loneliness
An isolated heart becomes easy prey.
C. The Seduction of Power
A badge without integrity is just another weapon.
D. The Slope of Sin
Evil rarely begins with murder —
it begins with self‑justification.
E. The Collapse of False Happiness
Anything built on deceit
will eventually bury the builder.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Noir Nightcap
Drink: A rye whiskey neat — sharp, unsoftened,
the taste of a man who wants shortcuts.
Plate: Salted peanuts and a cold ham sandwich —
the late‑night food of a lonely kitchen
and a restless conscience.
Atmosphere: A dim lamp, blinds half‑drawn,
a radio murmuring in another room,
the sense that someone might be watching.
Symbol: A police badge on a table —
authority without virtue,
gleaming and empty.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where has desire begun to distort my judgment.
Where am I vulnerable because I am lonely.
What “shortcuts” tempt me away from integrity.
Where have I justified small sins that lead to larger ones.
What truth must I face before it becomes my downfall.
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