Thursday, July 9, 2026

 

Smoke in This Life Not the Next — Thu, Jul 9

Holy Face Rosary II: Struck & Mocked Virtue: Mercy & Dignity 

Cigar: Habano Maduro — bold, peppered, bruised yet unwavering 

Bourbon: None — silence before the Holy Face

The second decade of the Holy Face Rosary turns toward the blows Christ received — the striking, the spitting, the mockery meant to erase His dignity. In that light, the testimony of the deceased Franciscan who left his handprint seared into the refectory table becomes more than a purgatorial warning; it becomes a meditation on the dignity of suffering and the mercy that reveals it.

“Nothing on earth,” he said, “can give an idea of the torments which I endure, and of which God permits me to give you a visible proof.” Then he placed his hand upon the table, and the wood burned beneath him as though touched by a red‑hot iron. This was not spectacle. It was instruction — a lesson meant for his friend, and for every soul who later came to see the mark. The table became a pilgrimage object because it testified to the seriousness of love: a love that refuses to let the soul enter heaven half‑cleansed, half‑true, half‑ready.

Tonight’s Habano Maduro fits the meditation. Its dark, peppered strength mirrors the blows endured by Christ without surrender. It reminds me that dignity is not softness but steadfastness — the refusal to let mockery distort the truth of who I am before God.

The Franciscan’s burn mark is mercy because it restores seriousness. It honors the Holy Face struck and mocked. And it calls me to live so that no fire will be needed to finish what love began.

Around the Corner

Stop the soul sucking

5 Things to Do When You Are Betrayed by Another Catholic

Move Beyond Distrust

Our religious affiliation does not ensure that we act in a saintly manner — which is why confession so readily available.

Make a Decision

You can let this betrayal drag you down or you can use it to help you find a deeper faith and closer relationship to Christ.

Work Through the Emotional Baggage

As always, prayer is the best recourse. It is okay to go to God and tell him why you are seething. Of course, he already knows, but somehow the act of explaining it to him has a way of lightening the load.

Consider Your Unique Abilities

Our betrayals can, if we don’t let them destroy us, be a signal of what types of souls God wants us to help.

Remember the Ransom

In Les Miserables there is the iconic scene where the saintly old bishop, just after telling the police that Jean Valjean was actually given the silver he stole, says to the hardened criminal, “Jean Valjean my brother you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I have bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God.”

THE BEST OF EVERYTHING (1959)

Joan Crawford • Hope Lange • Suzy Parker • Diane Baker • Stephen Boyd Directed by Jean Negulesco

The Best of Everything is a skyscraper‑height drama about ambition, innocence, and the cost of chasing dreams in a world that measures women by their usefulness rather than their dignity. Beneath its glossy surfaces lies a meditation on longing, compromise, and the quiet heroism of women who refuse to surrender their souls to the machinery of corporate desire.

Hope Lange’s Caroline Bender arrives in New York with hope and talent. Suzy Parker’s Gregg is a dancer chasing beauty. Diane Baker’s April is tender, trusting, and vulnerable. Joan Crawford’s Amanda Farrow presides over them all — a woman hardened by disappointment, armored by elegance, and determined to survive.

The film’s charm hides its deeper truth: the climb toward “everything” often reveals what truly matters — and what never did.

1. Production & Cultural Setting

Corporate Femininity in Postwar America

Released in 1959, the film reflects a nation shifting from wartime independence to domestic expectation. Women were entering offices in record numbers, yet the culture insisted their real destiny was marriage. The movie exposes this tension — ambition colliding with tradition, desire wrestling with duty.

Joan Crawford: Steel Wrapped in Silk

Crawford’s Amanda Farrow is the embodiment of mid‑century female professionalism — immaculate, disciplined, and quietly wounded. She shows how success can become both shield and prison.

Hope Lange & Suzy Parker: The New American Woman

Their characters represent the era’s emerging female archetypes: the capable career woman and the artistic dreamer. Both discover that the world is far less romantic than their hopes.

2. Story Summary

The Arrival

Caroline Bender joins a New York publishing house, eager to prove herself. She meets Gregg and April, fellow strivers navigating the city’s promises and dangers.

The Conflict

Each woman confronts a different battlefield: Caroline — ambition vs. affection. Gregg — art vs. obsession. April — innocence vs. exploitation. Amanda — authority vs. loneliness.

The Unraveling

Romantic illusions collapse. Gregg’s love becomes destructive. April’s trust is betrayed. Caroline learns that talent is not enough in a world ruled by ego and desire.

The Showdown

The women face the truth about the men who charm them, the system that uses them, and the dreams that cost more than expected.

The Victory

Caroline rises — not by abandoning her heart, but by refusing to abandon her integrity. Amanda softens. April survives. Gregg’s tragedy becomes a warning. The women discover that “everything” is not fame or romance, but self‑respect.

3. Moral & Emotional Resonances

A. Ambition Without Boundaries Consumes

The film warns that desire — romantic or professional — becomes dangerous when it eclipses identity.

B. Innocence Is Not a Strategy

April’s tenderness is beautiful, but unprotected. The world requires wisdom as well as goodness.

C. Love Can Become a Trap

Gregg’s downfall reveals how obsession masquerades as devotion.

D. Strength Often Looks Like Restraint

Amanda’s severity hides a wounded heart. Her discipline is survival.

E. Integrity Is the Real “Everything”

Caroline’s triumph is not glamour but clarity — the discovery that dignity is the only prize worth keeping.

4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night of Urban Resolve

Drink: Champagne cocktail — bright, aspirational, slightly bittersweet. 

Plate: Steak and crisp salad — clean, decisive, metropolitan. 

Atmosphere: City lights through a window, a typewriter on a desk, the hum of ambition. 

Symbol: A manuscript page — the courage to write one’s own future.

5. Reflection Prompts

• Where am I confusing success with self‑worth.

• What illusions about love or ambition need to be surrendered.

• Who in my life has worn strength as armor.

• Where have I allowed desire to eclipse wisdom.

• What “everything” am I truly seeking — and what must I release to reach it.