Wednesday, June 24, 2026 Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Smoke in This Life, Not the Next
June 24 — Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Virtue: Voice & Witness
Cigar: Prophetic Habano
Bourbon: High West Double Rye
Theme: Speak the truth aloud
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a feast of fire — the only birth besides Christ and His Mother that the Church marks. John arrives as a voice, not an echo, and his day has long been kept with Johannistag bonfires: towering midsummer flames meant to test courage and expose truth.
Tonight’s pairing carries that same edge.
A Habano that refuses to flatter.
A Double Rye that wakes the conscience.
The question is simple and severe:
What truth must be spoken aloud.
The tradition offers a hard witness:
“Behold two who have seen the torments of the other world. The incredulous are inexcusable; those who believe and still refuse penance are more to be condemned.”
Silence is never neutral.
To withhold the truth is to strengthen the lie.
The fire burns. The prophet speaks. The smoke rises in this life — not the next.
JUNE 24 Wednesday-Solemnity of
Saint John the Baptist
Midsummer-Swim a Lap Day
Luke, Chapter 1, verse 12-13:
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and FEAR came upon him,
but the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because
your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
shall name him John.
To a Pious Jew and especially a Levi priest the knowledge that God is so holy we dare not even say His name. Notice frequently in the bible the angels will use the term, “Do not be afraid”, and this is because at times we know our sinfulness and may not feel worthy.
Copilot’s Take
The solemnity of John the Baptist opens with a scene
that reveals the whole drama of the spiritual life. Zechariah stands before the
Holy One, offering incense, when the angel appears and fear overwhelms him. Not
the awe that draws a soul toward God, but the fear that shrinks back, aware of
its own unworthiness. Heaven answers that fear with the same command spoken
throughout Scripture: “Do not be afraid.” God knows how easily the human
heart collapses under the weight of its own imperfections.
The Catechism teaches that holy fear is a gift of
the Spirit, but distorted fear is a weapon of the enemy. It is the kind of fear
that convinces a person that God cannot use them, that their past disqualifies
them, that their voice is too small to matter. This is the fear that buries
talents in the ground. It is the fear that keeps good men silent while evil
advances. It is the fear that feeds the culture of death by persuading people
that nothing sacred can be restored.
John the Baptist stands as the antidote to that
paralysis. He confronted corruption, hypocrisy, and moral decay without
flinching. He did not negotiate with evil or soften the truth to fit the
expectations of the age. He lived simply, spoke plainly, and feared God more
than kings. The Catechism calls this parrhesia — boldness in truth — and
it is the virtue that unmasks the lies embedded in any society that has drifted
from God.
Wherever grave sin is normalized, political and
cultural systems eventually reflect that disorder. When leaders fear public
backlash more than divine judgment, corruption multiplies. When a people become
numb to the dignity of life, the family, and the moral law, conscience
collapses. This is how the culture of death takes root: not first in
legislatures, but in hearts that have forgotten how to tremble before God.
The spiritual battle of this age is therefore not
primarily political but moral. Regions, states, and institutions that have
embraced the culture of death are not merely experiencing policy drift; they
are experiencing spiritual erosion. When a society rejects the sacred, it
inevitably elevates the profane. When it rejects responsibility, it embraces
chaos. When it rejects repentance, it embraces despair. These are not partisan
realities but theological ones.
Yet the Gospel refuses to leave humanity in that
despair. God does not begin His work with the strong, the polished, or the
fearless. He begins with the trembling. He begins with the hesitant. He begins
with the one who knows he is unworthy. Zechariah’s fear becomes the doorway to
John’s mission. John’s courage becomes the doorway to Christ’s revelation. And
Christ’s victory becomes the doorway through which every generation must walk
if it hopes to resist the culture of death.
The angel’s command still stands: “Do not be
afraid.” Not because humanity is worthy, but because God has heard the
prayer of His people. Evil sows fear to silence the good. Christ speaks courage
to send them. And every time a man or woman steps forward in obedience — in a
sanctuary, in a home, in a community drifting toward darkness — the way of the
Lord is prepared again.
Nativity of St. John the Baptist
ST.JOHN could not have had any greater panegyrist
than Jesus Christ Himself, Who said: There hath not risen, among them that are
born of women [in the natural manner], a greater than John the Baptist; (Matt.
xi. 11). The Lord made him great, even from his mother’s womb, by causing his
birth to be foretold by an angel, by giving him his name, and by sanctifying
him while yet in his mother’s womb through the presence of Christ. To escape
from the world and its allurements he withdrew to the desert, and there occupied
himself only with God and with what concerned his vocation. His food was locusts and wild
honey; his clothing a garment of camel’s hair, fastened by a leathern girdle;
his bed the hard ground. Thus, he lived till his thirtieth year, in which, by
the command of God, he was to proclaim the coming of the Messiahs, Whom he
himself afterwards baptized and pointed out to men as the Lamb of God. With
extraordinary zeal and earnestness, he preached the necessity of true penance.
For having reproved Herod for living in adultery he was thrown into prison, and
finally, at the instigation of Herodias, was beheaded.
We celebrate the day of his birth rather than that
of his death, as is the case of most saints’ days, because, while other saints
arrive at sanctity only through long and difficult contests, John was already
sanctified in his mother’s womb.
The Introit of the Mass is as follows: The Lord hath
called me by my name, from the womb of my mother, and hath made my mouth like a
sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He hath protected me, and hath made me
as a chosen arrow. It is good to give praise to the Lord, and to sing to Thy
name, O Most High.
Prayer. O God,
Who, by the birth of John, hast made this day worthy to be honored by us, grant
to Thy people the grace of spiritual joys, and guide the minds of all the
faithful in the way of eternal salvation.
EPISTLE.
Isaias xlix. 1-3, 5-7.
Give ear, ye islands, and hearken, ye peoples from
afar. The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother He
hath been mindful of my name. And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword: in
the shadow of His hand He hath protected me, and hath made me as a chosen
arrow: in his quiver He hath hidden me. And He said to me: Thou art my servant
Israel, for in thee will I glory. And now saith the Lord, that formed me from
the womb to be His servant, that I may bring back Jacob unto Him, and Israel
will not be gathered together: and I am glorified in the eyes of the Lord, and
my God is made my strength. And He said: It is a small thing that thou shouldst
be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to convert the dregs of
Israel. Behold I have given thee to be the light of the gentiles, that thou
mayest be My salvation even to the farthest part of the earth. Thus saith the
Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, His holy One, to the soul that is despised, to
the nation that is abhorred, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see, and
princes shall rise up and adore for the Lords sake, because He is faithful, and
for the holy One of Israel, Who hath chosen thee.
Explanation. This prophecy refers, it is
true, to Christ, Whom God has made the head, teacher, ruler, and salvation of
all nations. The greater part of it, however, may be applied to St. John, as is
evident from his life.
GOSPEL.
Luke i. 57-68.
Elizabeth s full time of being delivered was come,
and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord
had showed His great mercy towards her, and they congratulated with her. And it
came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they
called him by his father’s name, Zachary. And his mother answering, said: Not
so, but he shall be called John. And they said to her: There is none of thy
kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he
would have him called. And demanding a writing-table, he wrote, saying: John is
his name. And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened, and his
tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their
neighbors; and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill-country of
Judea. And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying:
What an one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with
him. And Zachary, his father, was filled with the Holy Ghost: and he
prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: because He hath visited
and wrought the redemption of His people.
Explanation.
The neighbors and kinsfolk of Elizabeth rejoiced with her at her
happiness and gave her joy. We too, in like manner, should be glad when
anything good happens to our neighbor, and thank and praise God therefor.
Prayer. St. John, blessed forerunner of Jesus Christ, mirror
of true penance, burning and shining light, who by thy teaching and example
didst show to men the way to Christ, I beseech thee, by thy penitential life,
that thou wouldst obtain for me, from Him Whom thou didst point out as the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sins of the world, grace that, fearing God’s wrath
against the impenitent, I may at last do true penance for my sins, mortify my
sinful flesh according to thy example, serve God in purity and sanctity, and
finally, in the land of eternal happiness, follow forever the Lamb Who on the
altar of the cross was slain for me. Amen.
Saint John the Baptist[1]
John the
Baptist has the honor of being the only other person besides the Blessed Virgin
and our Lord whose birthday the
Church celebrates with a special feast. No doubt this has something to do with
the unique role that John plays in the economy of salvation. As the
"Precursor of the Lord" and the greatest of the prophets (Lk. 7.28),
John was given the commission of preparing the way for the Son of God. In the Confiteor
he is ranked higher than Saints Peter and Paul and is subordinate only to
the Blessed Virgin and St. Michael the Archangel. (Tradition holds that like
the prophet Jeremiah, John was consecrated in the womb to be free from all
mortal sin.) But there is also something special about his birthday itself:
John's conception in the womb of his aged mother Elizabeth was miraculous, as
was the Angel Gabriel's prophecy about his mission and name (Lk. 1.5-26,
41-80). Even the birthday's location in the year is profoundly significant:
because of the summer solstice, the days begin to grow shorter and shorter
after his birthday. The days after Christ's birthday, on the other hand, begin
to lengthen. Hence John's statement about Jesus, "He must increase, and I
must decrease" (Jn. 3.30), is echoed in the cycle of the cosmos. No wonder
that in speaking of John, the Archangel Gabriel declares, "many shall
rejoice in his birthday" (Lk. 1.14).
A Great Leap in the Study of Music
We
should also mention the breviary hymn for the Feast of St. John the Baptist: Ut
queant laxis. Tradition ascribes the hymn to Paul the Deacon, who
purportedly wrote it before having to sing the difficult Exultet on Holy
Saturday night. (Paul was suffering from a hoarse throat and, remembering how
Zechariah, the father of St. John, was cured from a case of muteness, thought
it best to direct his prayers to the Baptist). What makes Ut queant laxis
most famous, however, is that it is the source of our musical scale, do, re,
mi. An attentive medieval monk noticed that the melody of the hymn ascended
precisely one note of the diatonic scale of C at each verse. Taking the first
stanza, he decided to name the notes after the first syllable of each verse:
UT queant laxis REsonare fibris
MIra gestorum
FAmuli tuorum,
SOLve polluti LAbii reatum, SancTe Ioannes.
Things to Do:[2]
Read about the traditions
connected with this feast, particularly the connection with bonfires.
The Liturgy of the
Hours for the Evening Prayer (Vespers) of the Birth of St. John the Baptist has
traditionally included the Gregorian chant Ut Queant Laxis. See Catholic
Encyclopedia's entry Ut Queant Laxis, more information on the hymn
from Catholic
Culture, a Beginner's Guide to Modal Harmony, and Gregorian Chant Notation.
The Church year has
two cycles. The more important cycle is the Temporal Cycle (from
the Latin tempus which means time or season). The life of Christ is
relived in liturgical time, in both real time and Church's memory. Throughout
the year the Paschal Mystery (Christ's work of redemption through His birth,
life, passion, death, and resurrection and ascension) is relived, and broken
down into the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and
Ordinary Time. Sundays are the usual means by which this cycle unfolds.
At the same time with the
Temporal Cycle, the Sanctoral Cycle (from the Latin sanctus which
means saint) progresses. The Church honors Mary, Mother of God "with a
special love. She is inseparably linked with the saving work of her son"
(CCC 1172). Then the memorials of martyrs and other saints are kept by the
Church. They are held up to us as examples "who draw all men to the Father
through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God's favors" (CCC
1173).
This is one of the few
saint feast days that is connected with the temporal
calendar, not the sanctoral calendar, because John the Baptist was intimately
involved in Christ's work of redemption. Charting or making your own liturgical
calendar would be a great family project.
Read the excerpt
from the Directory
on Popular Piety on the cult of St. John the Baptist.
In Brazil, this day
is known as Diário de Sáo Joáo (Saint John's Day). The festivities are
set off in the villages and countryside by the Fogueira de Sáo Joáo
(bonfire) on St. John's eve. Families and friends eat traditional foods around
the fire while younger folks jump over the fire and firecrackers are exploded.
The day is primarily a festival for children, who save up months in advance to
purchase fireworks to set off for the day. In cities this is a day for parties
and dances, with the urban dwellers dressing up in rural costumes.
St. John is the
protector of lovers, so for fun, young country girls in Brazil will roll up
scraps of paper, each bearing a name of a single girl and place them into a
bowl of water. The first one which unfolds indicates the girl who will marry
first.
Today go out into the desert and when you return; renew your baptismal vows while taking a lap in the pool.
Eat like John- Locust,
Honey Energy Bars Mix (Dozen)
Bible
in a year Day 354 Partakers of the Divine Nature
Fr.
Mike reflects on the powerful reality that the sacrament of Baptism makes us
partakers of God's Divine nature, fundamentally changing us into beloved sons
and daughters of God the Father. He also highlights how the second coming of
Christ will come like a thief in the night, how Christians grieve with hope,
and how we have to test the prophecies we hear from seers. Today's readings are
2 Peter 1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4-5, and Proverbs 30:17-19.
Midsummer[3] is the period of time centered upon the summer
solstice, and more specifically the northern European celebrations
that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between June 19 and
June 25 and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different
cultures. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day
of the early Christian martyr St John the
Baptist, and the observance of St John's Day begins the evening
before, known as St John's Eve.
Midsummer celebrations held throughout the United States are
largely derived from the cultures of immigrants who arrived from various
European nations since the 19th century. With the rise of earth-centered
spirituality, many, including Unitarian Universalists, celebrate the summer
solstice as a religious holiday.
Alaska-As the state of Alaska, northernmost state in the nation,
straddles the Arctic Circle, midsummer is a time
when most of the state is in daylight or civil twilight the entire day. The Midnight Sun Game is an annual tradition in the city of Fairbanks, in which a regulation game of baseball is played at
10:30 p.m. local time, through the midnight hour, with no artificial
lighting.
Arizona-Tucson has announced its inaugural Earthwalk Solstice celebration, with sister events
in San Francisco, Jerusalem, and other communities around the world. The event
features a walk through a giant labyrinth, musicians, healers, ceremony, etc.
California-Since 1974, Santa Barbara has hosted an annual
Summer Solstice celebration, typically on the weekend of or the weekend after
the actual solstice. It includes a festival and parade. In Santa Clara County,
the Swedish American Patriotic League has held a Midsummer celebration at Sveadal
for more than 120 years. It includes a parade, decorating and raising a
Maypole, dancing and other activities.
Illinois-Geneva hosts a Swedish Day (Swedish: Svenskarnas Dag) festival on the third Sunday of June. The
event, featuring maypole-raising, dancing, and presentation of an authentic
Viking ship, dates back to 1911.
Michigan-In Kaleva, Juhannus is celebrated annually on or near the Summer Solstice
by Gathering at the Village Roadside Park. Traditionally Pannukakku (Finnish
Oven Baked Pancake) and strawberry shortcake is enjoyed followed by a bonfire
or kokko. Kaleva was founded in 1900 by Finnish immigrants.
Oregon-The Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival has been a
tradition on the North Coast of Oregon for over forty years. The Festival takes
place typically on the 3rd full weekend of June. The festival embodies the rich
cultural heritage that was transplanted to the Astoria, Oregon region by emigrating Scandinavians. In the Pacific Northwest
they found the same bounteous seas and forests as in their native lands and the
demand for their skills at managing them.
New York-The NYC Swedish Midsummer celebrations in Battery Park, New York City, attracts some
3,000–5,000 people annually, which makes it one of the largest celebrations
after the ones held in Leksand and at the Skansen Park in Stockholm. Sweden Day, a Midsummer celebration which also honors Swedish heritage and
history, has been held annually on the sound in Throgs Neck in New York City since 1941. Swedish Midsummer is also
celebrated in other places with large Swedish and Scandinavian populations,
such as Rockford, Illinois, Chicago, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Lindsborg, Kansas. The Swedish
"language village" (summer camp) Sjölunden, run by Concordia College in Minnesota, also
celebrates Midsummer.
Washington-The Seattle neighborhood of Fremont puts on a large Summer Solstice Parade
and Pageant, which for many years has controversially included painted naked cyclists. In St. Edwards Park in Kenmore, the Skandia
Folkdance Society hosts Midsommarfest, which includes a Scandinavian solstice
pole.
Wyoming-A solstitial celebration is held on Casper Mountain at Crimson Dawn park. Crimson Dawn is known in the area for the great stories of mythical
creatures and people that live on Casper Mountain. The celebration is attended
by many people from the community, and from around the country. A large bonfire
is held, and all are invited to throw a handful of red soil into the fire in
hopes that they get their wish granted.
Swim a Lap Day[4]
Take a lap! Around the pool that is, swim a Lap Day is a
day to get in the swimming pool. Swimming is a great way of getting exercise,
especially for those who have health problems that make traditional exercise
difficult due to weakness or difficulty moving. Swimming has been an activity
human have indulged in at least as far back as 7,000 years ago, a time from
which depictions of this activity can be seen in stone age paintings. People
have been engaging in swimming for all these years for many reasons, with
recreation being by far the most common among them. Swimming is, in fact,
ranked among the most popular forms of physical activity, even among otherwise
sedentary individuals. The buoyant nature of water makes it much easier on
those with physical limitations to get out and have a good time, and the act of
coursing through the water is often described as feeling a bit like flying!
Swimming has also been shown to be excellent for your health Those engaged in
swimming tend to engage in the activity for longer than other forms of
exercise, and the act of swimming often engages the entire body while moving
through the water This also results in the body drawing on large supplies of
oxygen during almost all stages of the activity. Other benefits seen from this
activity include a reduction in stress related illnesses by reduction of the
same, and it can even improve posture! Military applications of swimming go
back quite a long way, particularly in those engagements requiring
infiltration. Especially at night, it’s difficult to see someone who is
swimming underwater, and many cities and forts had vulnerabilities at the areas
where waste was washed out of the location. Everyone loves pirates, and a
common practice to taking a ship was to slip through the water from a distance,
so as not to reveal the presence of their vessel. They’d then stealthily slip
up the side of the target and take the ship by surprise!
There are many health benefits to swimming, and it’s an
activity especially encouraged for those suffering from degenerative diseases,
and ones that impede mobility such as arthritis. Its low impact nature allows
those whose movement would otherwise be restricted to engage in a full body
workout without causing further damage. Even those who are of advanced age can
find an ability to remain active in this sport! Due to its full body nature,
this sport is also excellent for building cardiovascular and respiratory
health, increasing how much oxygen the body can take advantage, as well as how
much blood the heart is able to move with each stroke.
Around the Corner
Simplicity of life can drive out demons. Honesty is a weapon
to defeat Satan, the Liar. When we lie, we put a foot in his camp, and he will
try to seduce us all the more.
10 coolest
summer getaways in Arizona: Mountains, lakes and a chilly cave trek
Bucket List: Vineyard
World Tour: Château Hough – An
urban vineyard right in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, transforming vacant
lots into a community-driven winery
Jump in swim a lap
Foodie:
Chef
Michael Symon's Polish Boy
Dessert- Pralines
Spirit Hour: The
old San Juan cocktail
Call me a fairy
You’re a fairy
Poof you’re a pile
of shit
Daily
Devotions
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: An end
to the use of contraceptives.
Litany
of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937)
Edward G. Robinson • Nigel Bruce • Ralph Richardson
Directed by Marion Gering
A transatlantic comedy wrapped in charm and velocity,
Thunder in the City is not merely a light diversion.
It is a portrait of ambition meeting restraint,
of American urgency colliding with British decorum,
of a man whose greatest strength becomes his greatest liability
until it is tempered into something wiser.
Robinson sheds the gangster silhouette without losing the force of presence.
Here he is not a criminal but a catalyst —
a man whose energy exposes the complacency around him
and whose bravado reveals the quiet dignity of those he disrupts.
Beneath the humor lies a question every driven soul must face:
What happens when confidence becomes noise,
and when the world you enter demands not more force
but more finesse.
1. Production & Historical Setting
A Comedy in the Shadow of the Depression
Released in 1937, the film arrives as America claws its way out of economic despair.
Hollywood answers not with escapism alone
but with stories about reinvention —
men who must learn when to push, when to pause,
and when to let humility do the work that hustle cannot.
Edward G. Robinson: The Force of Personality
Robinson plays the American businessman with a vigor that never turns cruel.
His confidence is relentless, his charm undeniable —
a man who believes problems exist to be solved
and that hesitation is the only real enemy.
Nigel Bruce: The Gentle Buffer
Bruce embodies the warmth and bumbling grace of the British upper class —
a man whose good intentions soften the edges of Robinson’s intensity
and reveal the humanity beneath the bravado.
Ralph Richardson: The Dry Counterpoint
Richardson brings a sharp, understated wit —
the kind that punctures ego without raising his voice,
a reminder that intelligence does not need volume.
2. Story Summary
The Collision
An American advertising dynamo, told he is “too aggressive,”
travels to London to regain perspective.
Instead, he barrels into a family of well‑meaning aristocrats
whose fortunes are fading
and whose world is not built for his speed.
The Upheaval
His schemes, salesmanship, and unstoppable confidence
turn their quiet lives inside out.
What they see as chaos, he sees as opportunity —
and in the friction, each exposes the other’s blind spots.
The Transformation
The comedy resolves not in conquest
but in conversion —
not of the British to American ways,
but of the American to a deeper understanding of restraint.
Ambition remains, but it is refined.
Energy remains, but it is directed.
Thunder becomes clarity.
3. Spiritual & Moral Resonances
A. Strength Without Wisdom Becomes Noise
Drive is a gift —
but without discernment, it overwhelms rather than elevates.
B. Gentleness Is Not Weakness
The British characters reveal that quietness
can carry more authority than volume.
C. Culture as Mirror
The clash of manners exposes the assumptions each side carries —
and how easily confidence can become caricature.
D. The Discipline of Restraint
True maturity is not doing more
but knowing when to stop.
E. Conversion Through Encounter
Transformation happens not through victory
but through relationship —
when a man sees himself reflected in those he disrupts.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night of Transatlantic Charm
Drink: A well‑built gin & tonic — crisp, balanced, Anglo‑American in spirit.
Plate: Tea sandwiches and salted nuts — simple, civilized, quietly humorous.
Atmosphere: A room with polished wood, soft lamplight, and a hint of cigar smoke.
Symbol: A calling card on a silver tray — confidence meeting courtesy.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where has my confidence become noise.
Where must I learn the discipline of restraint.
What assumptions do I carry into unfamiliar rooms.
Where is gentleness asking to correct my ambition.
What part of my character needs refinement, not acceleration.
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