Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Smoke in This Life Not the Next

Virtue: Mercy & Steadfastness 

Cigar: Cameroon — cooler, thinner, patient 

Bourbon: Russell’s Reserve — embers settling

Reflection: Where do I offer mercy that costs me something.

St. Perpetua steps into the evening with the same clarity she carried into the arena — a woman who understood that mercy is not a soft virtue but a purifying one. Her vision of Dinocrates was not sentimental; it was surgical. She saw a child in thirst, a wound unhealed, a soul incomplete. And instead of recoiling, she stayed. She prayed. She offered mercy that cost her something.

Tonight’s Cameroon cigar burns in that same register — cooler, thinner, patient. It doesn’t overwhelm; it invites honesty. The draw is clean, almost austere, like a man trying to keep his interior life uncluttered. Russell’s Reserve settles beside it with a familiar warmth, not indulgent but steady, the kind of bourbon that teaches endurance rather than escape. Together they form a small discipline: stay with the smoke, stay with the sip, stay with the truth.

Perpetua’s witness asks a hard question. Mercy that costs nothing is merely preference. Mercy that costs something becomes purification. It forces a man to remain present to wounds he would rather ignore — in others, and in himself. It asks him to pray for the thirsty, even when he feels dry. It asks him to believe that deserts can become gardens.

Where is mercy asking me to remain. Where is steadfastness waiting to become courage. Where is God preparing me to heal by being healed.

If you want tomorrow’s entry to continue the Perpetua–Dinocrates arc, I can build it into a three‑day sequence.

JULY 28 Tuesday Ninth Week Pentecost

Novena to St. John Vianney

 

Judith, Chapter 4, Verse 1-2

When the Israelites who lived in Judea heard of all that Holofernes, the ranking general of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had looted all their shrines and utterly destroyed them, they were in very great FEAR of him, and greatly alarmed for Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord, their God.

 

Join the resistance! No not the fake news one but the resistance to all that is evil. Godly resistance is much different than the guttural takes no prisoners of modern time’s resistance with our pink devil horned hats.

 

Holy Resistance[1]

 

The Israelites’ reaction to invasion differs from their neighbors in two respects: The nature of their fear and their response.

Their fear is not only for themselves but primarily for Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord.

Most secularists surrender to evil with joy; but the holy prepare to defend its most precious possession: faith and trust in He who is.

We must prepare to defend the mountain passes by defending our faith.

However, the most important preparation for siege is spiritual through prayer and fasting.

Note Mary the Mother of Christ via Fatima apparitions tell us that we like the Israelites must continue in prayer, making reparation and consecration to God.

The key is cry unto the Lord.

 

The Book of Judith symbolic of the Virgin Mary[2]

Judith was a holy widow.  She wore haircloth and fasted almost every day. She spent most of her time in a chamber of her home, praying. The land of Israel was in distress, being under siege by Holofernes. It is when Israel is in it's greatest need that she comes forth from the chamber to save them by her intercession. This is symbolic of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her victory over Satan in the very last days to come. What is most interesting and noteworthy is the talk she gave to the leaders of the people. Her words apply to us in the latter days of this great apostasy from the Catholic faith. We should pay heed and learn from her as they are words Our Lady would no doubt address to each of us: Have patience, be humble, pray to God for mercy, it was our fathers that drew down this chastisement upon us: Our part is to suffer these tribulations as penance for our sins. It is for our sanctification.

Judith was symbolic of the Virgin Mary

And they came to her, and she said to them: What is this word, by which Ozias hath consented to give up the city to the Assyrians, if within five days there come no aid to us?  And who are you that tempt the Lord?  This is not a word that may draw down mercy, but rather that may stir up wrath, and enkindle indignation. You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord, and you have appointed him a day, according to your pleasure.  But forasmuch as the Lord is patient, let us be penitent for this same thing, and with many tears let us beg his pardon: For God will not threaten like man, nor be inflamed to anger like the son of man. And therefore, let us humble our souls before him, and continuing in an humble spirit, in his service: Let us ask the Lord with tears, that according to his will so he would shew his mercy to us: that as our heart is troubled by their pride, so also, we may glorify in our humility.  For we have not followed the sins of our fathers, who forsook their God, and worshiped strange gods. For which crime they were given up to their enemies, to the sword, and to pillage, and to confusion: but we know no other God but him.  Let us humbly wait for his consolation, and the Lord our God will require our blood of the afflictions of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that shall rise up against us, and bring them to disgrace. And now, brethren, as you are the ancients among the people of God, and their very soul resteth upon you: comfort their hearts by your speech, that they may be mindful how our fathers were tempted that they might be proved, whether they worshiped their God truly.  They must remember how our father Abraham was tempted, and being proved by many tribulations, was made the friend of God.  So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.  But they that did not receive the trials with the fear of the Lord, but uttered their impatience and the reproach of their murmuring against the Lord, Were destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by serpents. As for us therefore let us not revenge ourselves for these things which we suffer.  But esteeming these very punishments to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with which like servants we are chastised, have happened for our amendment, and not for our destruction. And Ozias and the ancients said to her: All things which thou hast spoken are true, and there is nothing to be reprehended in thy words.  Now therefore pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God.    JUDITH 8, 10-34 

Copilot’s Take

The fear that seizes Israel in Judith is not the panic of a people afraid of losing comfort; it is the trembling of a people afraid of losing holiness. Their alarm is for the Temple, for the covenant, for the presence of God among them. This is the first mark of holy resistance: fear rightly ordered. The Catechism teaches that evil is real and the battle is dramatic (CCC 409), yet it also insists that Satan’s power is limited (CCC 395). Judith stands in this tension — the world shaking, the enemy advancing, yet the sovereignty of God unbroken. Her fear becomes reverence, and her reverence becomes courage.

Judith’s speech is a catechesis on the interior life. She rebukes the leaders not for cowardice but for presumption — for “setting a time for the mercy of the Lord.” The CCC warns against the same spiritual impatience: holiness requires renunciation, purification, and the slow fire of fidelity (CCC 2015). Judith calls Israel back to humility, repentance, and tears. She reminds them that trials are not signs of abandonment but instruments of sanctification. This is the Marian pattern: purity before power, prayer before action, surrender before victory. Judith becomes the icon of the soul that refuses to murmur, refuses to despair, refuses to negotiate with evil.

The Church confronts evil not by mirroring its rage but by clinging to truth and charity. The CCC commands resistance to falsehood (2475), injustice (1807), and laws that contradict the moral order (2242), yet it also commands love of enemies (1829) and courage without hatred (1808). Judith embodies this paradox. She does not storm the camp in fury; she enters it in holiness. She defeats Holofernes not by becoming like him but by remaining entirely unlike him. Her victory is the victory of sanctity over brutality, of integration over fragmentation, of a soul wholly given to God over a man wholly given to himself.

The CCC’s pattern of resistance — prayer (2742), fasting (1434), works of mercy (2447), and witness to truth (2471) forms the modern expression of what Judith lived in her chamber. She clothed herself in sackcloth, the ancient sign of embodied repentance, joining mind, body, and soul in a single posture of humility before God. Israel’s penitential life was never merely interior; it was enacted through fasting, ashes, lament, and physical self‑lowering. Our “sackcloth” is interior rather than exterior: the spiritual disciplines that bend the heart toward conversion and fidelity. What Judith expressed through embodied austerity, the Church now teaches through the practices of prayer, penance, and charity. These are the hidden weapons of holiness, the quiet interior armory from which God raises His saints to confront the evils of their age.

America’s crisis, viewed through the lens of the CCC, is not primarily political but spiritual — a forgetting of God, a collapse of virtue, a culture of self‑worship. Judith’s warning fits our moment: do not test God, do not murmur, do not demand mercy without repentance. The CCC would say America wants blessing without obedience, prosperity without virtue, and identity without truth. Holy resistance refuses this counterfeit. It begins not with activism but with conversion, not with slogans but with sacrament, not with outrage but with reparation. Judith teaches that the soul must be unified before the culture can be confronted; the person must be whole before the nation can be healed.

And so Judith’s final command becomes the Church’s command for this hour: cry unto the Lord. Not complain. Not despair. Not surrender. Cry unto the Lord with the tears of repentance and the courage of faith. Holy resistance is not a movement of anger but a movement of adoration. It is the refusal to let the Temple fall within the heart. It is the embodied holiness that integrates body, mind, soul, emotion, and will into a single flame of fidelity. This is how Judith defeated Holofernes. This is how Mary crushes the serpent. This is how readers today can emulate Judith — by becoming wholly God’s, radiant with His presence, and therefore unconquerable before the darkness of their age.

Novena in Honor of Saint John Marie Vianney[3]

Complete Trust in God

Saint John Marie Baptist Vianney, what confidence the people had in your prayers! You could not leave your old rectory or your humble church without being surrounded by imploring souls, who appealed to you as they would have appealed to Jesus Himself during His earthly life. And you, O good Saint, gave them hope by your words, which were full of love for God. You, who had always counted entirely on the heart of God, obtain for me a deep filial trust in His Providence. As the hope of divine goods fills my heart, give me courage and help me to always obey the Commandments of God. Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession. Pray for me during this novena especially for ... (mention silently your special intentions).

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Litany of Trust — July 28

“From the fear that evil will overpower holiness, deliver me, Jesus.”

There are days when the world feels like Bethulia under siege—surrounded, pressured, and exhausted by forces that seem stronger than virtue and louder than truth. The threats feel sharper than hope, the enemies more cunning than peace, and the future more fragile than fidelity. Yet Judith steps out of her chamber and reminds us that holiness is not fragile. Holiness is fire. The Catechism teaches that trust in God’s providence is not naïve optimism but a courageous surrender to His fatherly care (CCC 2090). Fear fractures the person; faith integrates the whole. Judith’s radiance came from unity—body, mind, soul, emotion, and will offered entirely to God.

History gives its own warnings. Revolutions born of fear often devour their children. Movements fueled by outrage often collapse under their own violence. The world’s solutions, when divorced from God, become smoldering brands—bright for a moment, then fading into ash. Judith offers a counter‑revolution: God does not save by spectacle but by sanctity. He does not send an army; He sends a woman whose entire being is aligned with Him. Her victory is not force but presence. Not strategy but surrender. Not power but purity.

There is a temptation to believe that evil advances faster than grace, that corruption spreads quicker than conversion, that the siege engines of the age are stronger than the quiet fidelity of the saints. But Judith teaches that what looks overwhelming is already weakening. Holofernes appears invincible, yet he is already undone by his own disintegration. Evil collapses before wholeness. The Kingdom is not secured by human strength but by divine radiance. Fear whispers that darkness defines the future; faith answers that God does.

Lord, deliver me from the fear that evil is stronger than Your holiness. Deliver me from the anxiety that rises when I see the world’s armies and forget Your sovereignty. Deliver me from the instinct to grasp for control when You ask for surrender. Deliver me from the dread that sin, chaos, or enemies can overturn Your promises. Deliver me from the belief that the world’s noise is greater than Your whisper.

Jesus, teach me Judith’s way—how to pray with the body, think with the mind of faith, feel with purified emotion, choose with a disciplined will, and surrender with a trusting soul. Teach me to unite the whole person in You, so that Your radiance may shine through every part of my life. Teach me to believe that holiness is stronger than violence, purity stronger than corruption, humility stronger than pride. Teach me to stand firm when fear urges retreat.

From the fear that evil will triumph, deliver me, Jesus. From the belief that danger defines my destiny, deliver me, Jesus. From the temptation to rely on alliances instead of Your strength, deliver me, Jesus. From the illusion that the world is stronger than Your promises, deliver me, Jesus. From the dread that Your silence means abandonment, deliver me, Jesus.

Jesus, I trust that You are the God who enters the tent of the enemy through the courage of the faithful. Jesus, I trust that Your providence governs nations and hearts alike. Jesus, I trust that no darkness burns hotter than Your mercy. Jesus, I trust that courage is born from Your nearness. Jesus, I trust that Your victory is already unfolding, even when I cannot see it.

And so on this July 28, I choose Judith’s radiance over fear, her wholeness over fragmentation, her trust over terror. Let my heart rest in the truth she lived: evil is loud, but holiness is stronger; enemies are many, but God is near; the siege is real, but the Savior is already at work. May I walk into my own battles with the same embodied faith, the same integrated courage, and the same quiet fire that made Judith unconquerable.

Around the Corner

Let Freedom Ring Day 22 Freedom from Narcissism

 In Greek mythology, we find the rather tragic figure of Narcissus. As the story goes, he is an extraordinary young man in every possible way. But, he is aloof and rather full of himself. Anyone who falls in love with him pays a steep price because he will not love them back. Eventually, while hunting, Narcissus stoops down to the water to get a drink. He sees his own reflection and falls madly in love with it. He reaches out to grab the reflection and drowns, suffering the abysmal fate others who tried to love him did. In psychology, narcissism is described as "selfishness, involving a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration, as characterizing a personality type." My brothers and sisters, does not this word describe our society to a T?

Bucket List trip[4]: USA 70-degree year trip:

Port Angeles

Beans Month bursts into July with a celebration of one of the world’s favorite and most versatile ingredient—beans!

10 coolest summer getaways in Arizona: Mountains, lakes and a chilly cave trek

St. Anthony Novena 7-on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays.

Pray Day 9 of the Novena for our Pope and Bishops

Religion in the Home for Preschool: July

Spirit Hour: Dark and Stormy Cocktail

Foodie-Pacific NW Clam ChowderTop of Form

Bottom of Form

 Drops of Christ’s Blood        

Daily Devotions

Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Binding and suppressing the Devils Evil Works

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

Religion in the Home for Preschool: July

Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

Drops of Christ’s Blood

Universal Man Plan

Rosary

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[1]The Collegeville Bible Commentary, 1986.

[2]http://ourladysresistance.org/index.html

[3]http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1129

[4] Schultz, Patricia. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler's Life List Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition. 

 

THIS IS MY AFFAIR (1937)

Robert Taylor • Barbara Stanwyck • Victor McLaglen Directed by William A. Seiter • A Fox Period Melodrama of Duty, Deception, and the Cost of Loyalty

This Is My Affair is one of those late‑Depression studio dramas where patriotism, romance, and moral peril braid together under the soft glow of turn‑of‑the‑century lamps. Robert Taylor’s Lt. Richard Perry stands at the center — earnest, disciplined, and quietly tormented — a Navy officer sent undercover by President McKinley himself, sworn to secrecy so absolute it nearly becomes his undoing.

Barbara Stanwyck’s Lil Duryea is the film’s emotional fulcrum: a saloon singer with a bruised heart, wary of men, yet drawn to the mysterious stranger whose gentleness contradicts his criminal façade. Around them swirl gangsters, gamblers, and political figures whose motives flicker like gaslight — half‑seen, half‑trusted, never fully safe.

Seiter directs with crisp Fox professionalism: bustling saloons, shadowed alleys, and the looming presence of American history. The assassination of McKinley becomes the film’s hinge — a moment when duty collides with fate, and Perry’s secret mission threatens to cost him his life because the only man who can clear him is suddenly gone.

Beneath the adventure lies a story of loyalty tested, identity concealed, and the fragile hope that love can survive even when truth must be hidden. It is a patriotic morality tale wrapped in intrigue — a drama of honor, sacrifice, and the perilous line between justice and betrayal.

🎞️ Film Card — This Is My Affair (1937)

This Is My Affair 1937 • 6.6/10 IMDb • 98 min

A Navy lieutenant goes undercover to infiltrate a bank‑robbery syndicate at the personal request of President McKinley. When the President is assassinated, the mission collapses — leaving the lieutenant accused, condemned, and unable to prove his innocence. Caught between duty and love, he must trust that truth will surface before it is too late.

Crime Melodrama • Historical Drama • Duty & Deception

Director William A. Seiter

Stars Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, Victor McLaglen

Studio 20th Century‑Fox

Notable The only Taylor–Stanwyck pairing before their marriage; a patriotic thriller shaped by the shadow of McKinley’s assassination.

1. Production & Cultural Setting

A Melodrama of Patriotism and Peril

Fox’s polished 1930s style is everywhere: crisp sets, period costumes, and a sense that American history is both backdrop and moral compass.

Taylor’s Earnest Resolve

His performance is all quiet duty — a man who risks reputation, freedom, and love for a mission he cannot reveal.

Stanwyck’s Guarded Heart

She brings her trademark emotional intelligence: wary, wounded, yet capable of fierce loyalty once trust is earned.

McLaglen’s Rough Vitality

A bruiser with a conscience, he embodies the era’s fascination with criminals who might yet be redeemed.

The Weight of History

McKinley’s assassination is not spectacle but consequence — the moment when secrecy becomes danger and loyalty becomes a sentence.

2. Story Summary

A Mission Conceived in Secrecy

President McKinley sends Lt. Perry undercover to break a bank‑robbery ring, forbidding him to tell anyone — even the Secret Service.

A Descent into Criminal Shadows

Perry adopts an alias, enters saloons and gambling dens, and earns the trust of dangerous men by risking his own freedom.

Love Complicated by Lies

Lil Duryea falls for him, but the deception required by his mission wounds her deeply.

History Interrupts

McKinley is assassinated before he can reveal Perry’s orders, leaving the lieutenant condemned as a criminal with no proof of innocence.

A Fight for Vindication

Lil appeals to Roosevelt, who uncovers the truth — restoring Perry’s honor and redeeming the love nearly destroyed by secrecy.

3. Moral & Emotional Resonances

A. Duty Can Demand Silence

Perry’s loyalty becomes a burden — a reminder that obedience sometimes isolates even the righteous.

B. Love Strains Under Hidden Truth

Lil’s pain reveals how secrecy, even for noble reasons, can fracture trust.

C. History Can Turn on a Moment

McKinley’s death shows how fragile justice becomes when the one witness to truth is suddenly gone.

D. Courage Is Often Quiet

Perry’s endurance is not heroic flourish but steadfastness in the face of betrayal and misunderstanding.

E. Redemption Requires Revelation

Only when truth is brought into the light can love and honor be restored.

4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night of Undercover Resolve

Drink: Old Forester neat — strong, honest, and fitting for a man who carries duty like a weight.

Plate: Steak seared in cast iron with onions — hearty, straightforward, the kind of meal a man on the edge might crave.

Atmosphere: Lamps low, a single American flag folded on the table, the room quiet enough to hear the soft tick of a clock.

Symbol: A sealed envelope — the kind that holds orders no one else may read.

5. Reflection Prompts

Where am I carrying a duty that isolates me.

What truth have I withheld that strains trust.

Where has history — or circumstance — turned suddenly, leaving me misunderstood.

What loyalty in my life requires courage rather than explanation.

Where is vindication waiting for the right moment to break through.