Wed, Jul 22 — St. Mary Magdalene (Feast) Virtue: Recognition & Love
Cigar: Cameroon — aromatic, warm, a leaf that invites closeness
Bourbon: Angel’s Envy — elegant, radiant, tasting of unexpected grace
Reflection: “Whose name do I hear at the tomb?”
The feast of St. Mary Magdalene arrives with its unmistakable tenderness — the morning when the world’s first witness to the Resurrection stood weeping outside the tomb, unable to see through her grief, until Love Himself spoke her name. Recognition became revelation. A single word became resurrection.
The Cameroon burns with that same warmth: a smoke that stays, that lingers, that refuses to abandon. Angel’s Envy follows with its bright sweetness, the taste of a grace that arrives not through merit but through mercy. Together they form a quiet liturgy of presence — the reminder that God often comes to us not in thunder but in the whisper of our own name.
Into this smoke comes the purgatorial plea: “Dear master, I beg of you have pity upon me!” “What! Brother Angelicus, do you need my assistance?” “I am detained in the fires of Purgatory, awaiting the fruit of the Holy Sacrifice which you should have offered three times for me.”
Magdalene knew that cry. She lived it. She stood at the tomb with the ache of the unfinished sacrifice — the longing for the One who had not yet spoken. Her tears were the smoke of a soul waiting for recognition. And when Christ called her by name, the entire architecture of sorrow collapsed. Love restored what grief had stolen.
The purgatorial voice reminds us that souls wait still — some near us, some entrusted to us — for the charity we have delayed, the Mass we have postponed, the prayer we meant to offer but never did. Recognition is not only what God gives; it is what He asks of us.
Tonight’s question rises through the warm Cameroon smoke:
Whose name do I hear at the tomb — and whose name is God asking me to speak so that another soul may rise?
JULY 22 Wednesday-Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
Blessed
are you, for you have made me happy; what I FEARED
did not happen. Rather you have dealt with us according to your abundant mercy.
Peace can only come when we
confront the truth.
Jesus declared “I am the truth” (John 14: 6) and told Pontius Pilate “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18: 37). Because he is the Son of God, Jesus is the truth about who God is, and, because he is fully human, he is the truth about the human person.
What
is that truth?
First, that God is Love, love that is
willing to give all, even life itself, for the good of the beloved.
Second, that the human person is precious
to God, precious enough to die for. When this truth is denied, the human person
becomes subhuman, an object, or a threat. It becomes easy to destroy a mass of
cells viewed as a threat. The human person may seem like a cancer on humanity
and be treated as such, rather than as an individual for whom Jesus suffered
and died. We are created in the image and likeness of God, and we have a
choice: To do good or to do evil. Daily we must decide if we are for ourselves and pursue the things of the
world or are we going to follow Christ by picking up our cross daily and freely
live under the flag of Christ.
Father
John Parks [1] states that the flag we
choose to live under determines everything.
He
asks, “Whose flag are you under? Do we consciously choose to serve, or do we
just let it happen?
We
have a choice here and indecision is a decision itself. Whose flag will you
follow Christ’s or Satan’s. True freedom comes not from doing what you want but
doing the things you were created to do. Father John recommends we follow the
flag of Christ (poverty, chastity, obedience) and not that of Satan (greed,
lust, pride) by having a battle plan.
Be in the
state of grace at all times-Go to Mass if you fall get up go to confession.
Pray-we
know who we are by knowing who’s we are. Remember Saint Joseph is known as the
terror of demons.
Do your
daily duty; there is great heroism in finishing the daily tasks.
Be Humble
and obey. When you break a commandment, you do not break it as much as it
breaks you.
Seek a community where there is strength in numbers “Iron sharpens iron”. Remember the Holy Spirit is what sets us free.
Copilot’s Take
Tobit’s cry of relief—“what I feared did not happen”—is
the cry of every heart that discovers God’s mercy is stronger than imagined
disaster. Fear sketches futures God has not willed, but mercy rewrites them. On
the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, the Church places before us a woman who
confronted truth without flinching, who stood at the Cross when others fled,
and who found in Christ a love stronger than every shadow. Peace begins when
truth is faced, and truth is not an idea but a Person. Jesus declares, “I am
the truth,” revealing both who God is and who we are meant to be.
The Catechism teaches that truth is the radiance of God’s
very being, and Jesus embodies that radiance in flesh. The first truth is that
God is Love—love that pours itself out, love that gives even life itself for
the beloved. The second truth is that the human person is precious, not
disposable, not a threat, not a mass of cells or a burden on society, but an
image-bearer worth dying for. When this truth is denied, humanity collapses
into utility, fear, and violence. When it is embraced, dignity becomes the
foundation of every moral choice. Daily we decide whether we live as God’s
beloved or as self-made strangers to grace.
Father John Parks reminds us that the flag we choose
determines everything. Christ’s flag is poverty, chastity, obedience—freedom
rooted in truth. Satan’s flag is greed, lust, pride—bondage disguised as
autonomy. Indecision is not neutrality; it is surrender. The spiritual life is
a battlefield of allegiance, and every choice, every habit, every desire
declares which banner flies over our soul. True freedom is not doing what we
want but doing what we were created to do. Mary Magdalene chose Christ’s flag
when darkness seemed strongest, and her fidelity became the first proclamation
of the Resurrection.
The Catechism is clear that confronting evil begins with
confronting truth. Evil thrives in distortion; truth exposes it. Conversion is
the first battleground, where the heart turns from fear to faith, from
self-reliance to grace. Fear itself is a temptation—an interior whisper that
doubts God’s providence and imagines chaos as sovereign. Hope, by contrast,
anchors us in God’s fidelity, not in circumstances. Grace strengthens what
human effort cannot. The believer confronts evil not by panic but by participation
in divine life.
A battle plan emerges from this truth: remain in a state of
grace, for grace is the armor of the soul; pray, for identity is found in
belonging to God; fulfill daily duty, for holiness is built from ordinary
faithfulness; practice humility and obedience, for pride breaks the person long
before it breaks the commandment; seek community, for “iron sharpens iron” and
the Holy Spirit binds believers into a strength greater than isolation. Saint
Joseph, terror of demons, stands as a reminder that righteousness is more
fearsome to evil than force.
On this feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, we remember the woman who confronted evil with fidelity, not fear.
She stood at the Cross, walked to the tomb, and became the apostle to the apostles because she chose truth over terror. Her witness answers Tobit’s relief: what we fear does not happen; what God wills does. His mercy is the final movement. And so on July 22, we choose Christ’s flag, Christ’s truth, Christ’s freedom. We choose to believe that God has dealt with us according to His abundant mercy—and that His providence is stronger than every fear.
Feast of the Holy Penitent Mary Magdalen[2]
MARY MAGDALEN, a sister of Lazarus and of Martha, of Bethany, was
a notorious sinner in Jerusalem. Moved by the preaching of Jesus, she did
public penance. She went openly into the house of the Pharisee with whom Jesus
was sitting at table, threw herself at His feet, anointed them with precious
ointment, washed them with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Jesus,
knowing her contrite heart, forgave her, her sins (Luke vii. 37, 38), and from
that time forward she became the most zealous and faithful of the women who
were disciples of Our Lord. She followed Him, always ministered unto Him of her
substance (Luke viii. 3), and when He died was standing under the cross.
Prayer. We beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be helped by the
intercession of blessed Mary Magdalen, at whose prayers Thou didst raise up
again to life her brother Lazarus, who had been dead for four days.
EPISTLE. Cant. iii. 2-5; viii. 6, 7.
I will rise
and will go about the city: in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him
whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and I found him not. The watchmen who keep
the city found me: Have you seen him whom my soul loveth? When I had a little
passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him: and I will not let
him go till I bring him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her
that bore me. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the harts
of the fields, that you stir not up, nor awake my beloved till she please. Put
me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as
death; jealousy as hard as hell; the lamps thereof are fire and flame. Many
waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it: if a man should
give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing.
The soul that, following the direction of the watchmen, that is, the priests,
teachers, and rulers of the Church, seeks Jesus, He goes to meet, gives Himself
up to, takes up His abode in, with all His love, with all His treasures. The
soul which has found Christ for delight forgets all outward things, and no longer
has love or joy but for and in Christ. How should it be otherwise? What can be
wanting to him who truly possesses Christ? This love for Him Who loved us unto
death shows itself by outward acts that are heroic. So, Mary Magdalen loved
Jesus. Follow her example.
GOSPEL. Luke vii. 36-50.
At that time:
One of the Pharisees desired Jesus to eat with him. And He went into the house
of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat. And behold a woman that was in the city,
a sinner, when she knew that He sat at meat in the Pharisee s house, brought an
alabaster box of ointment, and standing behind, at His feet, she began to wash
His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His
feet, and anointed them with the ointment. And the Pharisee, who had invited
Him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying: This man, if He were a prophet,
would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him, that
she is a sinner. And Jesus answering, said to him: Simon, I have somewhat to
say to thee. But he said: Master, say it. A certain creditor had two debtors,
the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not
wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which, therefore, of the two loveth him
most? Simon answering, said I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And He
said to him: Thou hast judged rightly. And turning to the woman, He said unto
Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest Me no
water for My feet; but she with tears hath washed My feet, and with her hairs
hath wiped them. Thou gavest Me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not
ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with
ointment hath anointed My feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven
her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.
And He said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with
Him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And
He said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.
Magdalen, who had sinned openly, openly did penance. In like
manner, he who has given public scandal must seek to make
amends for it by public good example. Magdalen confessed her sins, says St.
Ambrose, not with words, but with abundant tears of penitence. To tell her sins
to Christ, the All-knowing, was not necessary but what a confession was there in
the posture of humiliation, and in the tears that flowed from the contrite
sinner. Would you obtain forgiveness? Confess with contrition, like Magdalen.
The words, “Thy faith hath made thee safe,” denote a faith active as love.
Faith and love are in truth never separated, for the only truly believes who
also loves; and he only loves according to God’s will who believes in Him.
Therefore, believe in truth, love, and show your love by earnest hatred of
every sin, by flying from occasions of sin, by fighting against your passions,
by change of your life, and by humble confession, and as true as God lives you
will be saved, as was Magdalen the peace of God will enter into your heart.
Patron: Apothecaries; Casamicciola, Italy;
contemplative life; contemplatives; converts; druggists; glove makers;
hairdressers; hairstylists; penitent sinners; penitent women; people ridiculed
for their piety; perfumeries; perfumers; pharmacists; reformed prostitutes;
sexual temptation; tanners; women.
Highlights and Things
to Do[3]
From the Catholic
Culture library:
Who
Really Was Mary Magdalene? by Father William Saunders
The First Liturgical Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene: Witness of Divine Mercy by Cardinal Sarah
Listen to the Catholic
Culture Audiobook St. Robert Southwell—Mary Magdalene’s Complaint at Christ’s
Death read by James Majewski.
Read Jennifer Gregory
Miller's posts on St. Mary Magdalen's feast:
Elevating St. Mary Magdalene's Celebration
First Celebration of the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
Read more about St.
Mary Magdalen:
Tradition has it that
St. Mary Magdalene spent the last 30 years of her life in France. Read Saints in Rome for the location of her relics.
Read the book Witnesses
to Calvary: Reflections on the Seven Last Words of Jesus by Fr. Richard C.
Antall is an interesting and thoughtful look at St. Mary Magdalene's place at
the foot of the cross. He contrasts her deliverance from seven demons with the
symmetry of the Seven Words.
Jewish Menu
for the feast of St. Mary Magdalene
ISRAELI SALAD
MATZOH BALL SOUP
A juicy BRISKET
Jelly-filled
SUFGANIYOT
Redeemed
Sexuality[4]
As Christians we should be grateful beyond words for the gift of our redemption. We believe that Christ’s action on the cross has changed all things, for all time. We should seek to relate every aspect of our lives to how Christ has redeemed us and our world. When we consider the mystery and contemporary confusion of human sexuality, it is even more urgent for Christians to ask,
―How
has Christ redeemed human sexuality?
Today our media features topics that not long ago would have
been labeled science fiction, or pornography. Cloning, ―casual sex, getting
pregnant by means of reproductive technologies, frozen embryos, adultery — the
list goes on.
Does
anyone in the public square relate these issues to the spiritual?
When those of us try to bring God into the equation, we are
often told that ―individual morality must not be ―imposed on the public. But
that should not deter the Christian. Christ’s work on the cross has restored
all of human life, even human sexuality. That means that human sexuality is not
tinged with sin, nor is it morally neutral. Although we can misuse even the
best of God’s gifts, that does not change the fact that sex is God’s gift of
life and love to us. Specifically, sexual intercourse was never meant to be
directed to the individual. It’s not a sport or game to be enjoyed on its own.
Sexual intercourse is a powerful event of interpersonal communion — it is a
sacramental event. This makes more sense when we realize that Christian
marriage is a sign of Christ’s presence in the world. As Christians we accept
on faith that human sexuality is caught up in Christ, uniting a man and woman
in a union which reflects God’s love in the world and is directed to others.
With that starting point, it makes excellent sense to keep sex in marriage.
The
redeemed nature of marriage was understood by the Church from our earliest
history. Following up on Jesus’ own words on the indissolubility of marriage,
St. Paul likened Christian marriage to Christ’s relationship with His Church. ―As
Christ loved the Church . . . so the husband should love and cherish his wife
as he cherishes his own body; for husband and wife are one body, as Christ and
the Church are one body. This is a great mystery. St. John Chrysostom (347-407)
taught that the ―one flesh of the spouses is ―not an empty symbol. ―They have
not become the image of anything on earth, but of God Himself‖ (Homily 12).
The
love of spouses, says the Catechism, ―requires of its very nature, the unity
and indissolubility of the spouses’ community of persons, which embraces their
entire life (#1644). The root of this indissolubility is found in God Himself,
who taught us of His fidelity through His covenant with Abraham. It is found
finally in Christ, who united Himself with His Church. In this age of
continuous assaults on God’s design for life and love, it would do the world
good if Christians reclaimed our rich heritage. Before we can do this, we need
to return to the mystery of our faith and meditate on who Jesus is, what He did
for us, and how this has changed all life for all ages.
Novena
of St. Ann[5]
Daily Prayer to Saint Ann
O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with
compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily
burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly
beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your
special care.
Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it
before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue
to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me
the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the
saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.
Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .
O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at
the hour of my death. Good St. Ann, intercede for me.
SIXTH DAY
Good St. Ann do not allow my soul, a
masterpiece of God’s creative power, to be lost forever. Free my heart of
pride, vanity, self-love. May I know myself as I really am and learn meekness
and simplicity of heart.
God’s great love for me leaves me cold and
unresponsive. I must reflect this love through works of mercy and charity
toward my neighbor.
In your boundless charity, good St. Ann, help
me to merit the glorious crown which is given to those who have fought the good
fight against the world, the devil and the flesh. Assist me to preserve purity
of heart and body. With Mary and her divine Son, protect me always.
Around the Corner
Let
Freedom Ring Day 16 Freedom from Godlessness
What Is Nihilism?[6]
Nihilism is a continental philosophy (a
philosophical ideal that originated in Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries) that posits that everything is meaningless. While there are multiple
positions and variations on nihilism, they all work around this premise of
pervasive pointlessness and no purpose to life. The word “nihilism” comes from
the Latin word “nihil,” which means “the absence of anything” or “nothing.” The
current version of the term nihilism comes from the German word “nihilismus,”
which dates back to the eighteenth century.
Although there is more than one form of nihilism, all of them discuss the human condition and its existence. Here are a few underlying principles of nihilism:
Existence is useless. A
nihilist believes there is no purpose to having values or beliefs because
everything in existence is unfounded.
There is no truth.
Everything is unfounded and useless, including the truth, so there are no
reasons to uphold moral principles for your own sake or the sake of anyone
else.
Everything is meaningless.
Active nihilism says that since there is nothing and nothing we do matters, all
things are therefore meaningless, including the meaning of life.
10 coolest
summer getaways in Arizona: Mountains, lakes and a chilly cave trek
Everybody
Deserves a Massage Week
Bucket List:
Vineyard World Tour:
Foodie:
National Eggplant Month
Spirit Hour: Madeleine
2.0
Do not be
unbelieving
Daily
Devotions
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Increase
of Vocations to the Holy Priesthood.
Litany
of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
[1] John Parks, Lecture at Catholic Men’s Conference,
Phoenix, Arizona, 3/21/2015.
[2]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[4]http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning/awareness-week/upload/Redeemed-Sexuality.pdf
[5]Blessed Sacrament Fathers, ST. ANN’S SHRINE, Cleveland, Ohio
STOWAWAY (1936)
Shirley Temple • Robert Young • Alice Faye • Helen Westley Directed by William A. Seiter • A Musical‑Adventure of Found Family and Restored Joy
Stowaway is one of Shirley Temple’s most buoyant early films — a blend of exotic adventure, musical charm, and the era’s characteristic optimism. Beneath its playful surface lies a story about displacement, chosen family, and the healing power of affection freely given. Temple’s performance as Ching‑Ching is tender, spirited, and surprisingly grounded: a child navigating loss with instinctive grace.
The film’s China‑set backdrop is pure Hollywood fantasy, yet it frames a deeper emotional truth: sometimes the heart’s home is discovered far from where life began. Robert Young’s affable traveler and Alice Faye’s warm singer form the adult constellation around Ching‑Ching — two wandering souls who find direction through the child’s unassuming love. The film’s musical interludes, comedic turns, and romantic entanglements all orbit this central theme: joy can be rediscovered, and belonging can be chosen.
Beneath the laughter lies a moral thread: loneliness can be mended; kindness can knit strangers into kin; and innocence often perceives the path to restoration long before adults do.
1. Production & Cultural Setting
Technicolor Dreams Before Technicolor Arrived
Though filmed in black‑and‑white, Stowaway carries the emotional brightness of a Technicolor fantasy — a Depression‑era promise that adventure and happiness remain possible even in lean years.
Shirley Temple at Her Peak
1936 was Temple’s golden period. Her performance blends impish humor with genuine vulnerability, revealing why she became the era’s emblem of hope.
Hollywood’s “Foreign Adventure” Comfort
The film’s depiction of China is stylized and idealized, reflecting Hollywood’s escapist impulse: distant lands as stages for emotional renewal.
2. Story Summary
The Lost Beginning
Ching‑Ching, orphaned and alone in China, survives through resourcefulness and charm — a child adrift yet unbroken.
The Accidental Crossing
She hides aboard a ship, becoming a stowaway in both name and spirit. Her presence disrupts routines and awakens dormant affections.
The Gathering of Hearts
Robert Young’s Tom and Alice Faye’s Susan each form a bond with her — first protective, then parental. Ching‑Ching becomes the quiet catalyst for their romance.
The Threat of Separation
Legal complications and rival guardians threaten to pull her from the newfound family she has created through affection rather than blood.
The Restoration
Love prevails. Ching‑Ching is adopted, and the trio becomes a family — not by circumstance, but by choice.
3. Moral & Emotional Resonances
A. Belonging Can Be Chosen
Family is not merely inherited; it can be formed through affection, loyalty, and shared hope.
B. Innocence Reveals What Adults Forget
Ching‑Ching’s clarity of heart exposes the adults’ confusion — she sees love before they admit it.
C. Joy Is a Form of Healing
Her songs and laughter are not frivolous; they are medicine for wounded spirits.
D. Protection Is an Act of Love
Tom and Susan’s care for her becomes the path to their own emotional restoration.
E. Home Is Where Love Lands
The final adoption affirms that home is not a place but a relationship.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night of Lighthearted Restoration
Drink: Ginger‑infused black tea — warm, slightly adventurous, a nod to the film’s setting. Plate: Almond cookies and fresh citrus — bright, simple, and quietly celebratory. Atmosphere: A breezy evening, windows cracked open, a sense of movement or travel in the air. Symbol: A small paper boat — the reminder that journeys sometimes lead us to the family we didn’t know we needed.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where have I underestimated the power of chosen family.
What simple joy might restore a tired part of my spirit today.
Where is innocence — or clarity — trying to speak into my adult confusion.
What relationship has become a home I didn’t expect.
How might I practice the kind of love that gathers the lonely into belonging.
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