Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Smoke in this life not the Next
Virtue: Service & Stillness Cigar: Clean, focused (Connecticut)
Bourbon: Peerless Small Batch — crisp, purposeful
Reflection: How do I serve without anxiety
Notes: Maine Lobster Festival begins
St. Martha moves with purpose — hands in motion, heart engaged, service overflowing. Yet Christ’s voice in Bethany is a gentle correction: “You are anxious and troubled about many things.” Service becomes distortion when it is driven by fear. Service becomes love when it is anchored in stillness.
Perpetua understood this in her prison cell. When she saw Dinocrates in that arid purgatorial desert — the ulcer on his face, the unreachable fountain, the thirst that defined his suffering — she did not rush to fix what she could not touch. She did not panic or attempt to manufacture consolation. She served him through stillness, through prayer, through the quiet endurance of mercy that costs something.
Tonight’s Connecticut cigar mirrors that discipline. Clean, focused, uncluttered — it rewards presence rather than performance. Peerless Small Batch sharpens the edges of that presence, crisp and purposeful, reminding a man that clarity comes when the interior noise settles.
Perpetua’s second vision completes the lesson. Dinocrates appears healed, radiant, drinking freely from the golden cup. The desert has become a garden. And the miracle unfolds not because she worked harder, but because she remained still enough for God to work.
St. Martha’s witness asks the same question: Where is my service tangled with anxiety. Where is God inviting me to serve without controlling the outcome. Where is the desert waiting to bloom if I simply remain.
JULY 29 Wednesday-Saints Martha,
Mary, and Lazarus
Judith, Chapter 5,
Verse 23
“We are not AFRAID of the Israelites,” they said, “for they are a powerless
people, incapable of a strong defense.
Such
is the mindset of bullies. I remember as a child I got my first lesson in why
one should avoid such mentalities. As a child we had a rough and tumbling
playground and mayhem during recess was the order of the day. As a child during
recess, one needed to run and make up for all the mind-numbing instructions of
our dedicated teachers. One such game was called North and South. In this game
we would line up and charge each other and attack. The North I joined, and we
all lined up for the melee. Almost as one all at once we started running and
they started running as we came closer, I got a little frightened but then I
sighted a little guy that looked pretty powerless and came on strong. As I was
about to knock him down and trample or tackle him when suddenly he grabbed my
wrist and using my weight and energy swung me around three times and then let
me fly. I landed hard and crumpled in the dust. Lesson learned don’t be a bully
or underestimate the powerless.
Today
is world refugee day and today just like in Judith’s time the Israelites
refused to be a refugee and stood their ground; just like the little guy that
used my own energy and power to defeat me even though I was twice his size.
Israel was different for they knew that if they were faithful to God;
ultimately, they would win the war.
Bullying[1]
If you’re being bullied
Speak up – Tell
someone what’s happening – your parents, an older brother or sister, your
grand- parents, teacher, school chaplain, a friend.
Chin up – Don’t
let the bullies see you’re upset. But be careful about taking them on, as you
could be injured (or accused of being a bully yourself)
Join up – Don’t
believe that everyone is against you. It’s not true. Persevere with making your
own friends.
If you know someone who’s
being bullied
Speak up – Don’t
let someone suffer because you won’t do the right thing. If you can’t challenge
the bully, tell a responsible adult.
Link up – Talk to
your friends about what’s going on. Agree that you won’t stand idly by. Unity
is strength.
Meet up – Show
your support for the person being bullied. Include her/him in your activities.
Give them a chance.
Copilot’s Take
The declaration in Judith—“We are not afraid of the Israelites, for they
are a powerless people” (Jdt 5:23)—reveals a timeless flaw in the bully’s
imagination. Those who rely on intimidation consistently misread quiet fidelity
as weakness. The Feast of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus reinforces this
truth: the household God favors is not the one fortified by dominance but the
one strengthened by faith, hospitality, contemplation, and witness. The
Catechism teaches that sin begins in the human heart before it becomes a social
force (CCC 1869), and the arrogance displayed by Judith’s enemies shows how
personal pride can swell into collective blindness. Bullies, ancient or modern,
mistake noise for strength and vulnerability for fragility.
Across societies, bullying often migrates from childhood skirmishes into
the public square. It appears in politics when rhetoric becomes a weapon rather
than a service, when opponents are caricatured instead of engaged, and when
fear is used as a tool of persuasion. It appears in media when truth is bent
into spectacle, when outrage becomes a commodity, and when individuals are
shamed for entertainment. It appears in the economy when human beings are
treated as instruments of profit rather than bearers of dignity. The Catechism
insists that political authority must serve the common good (CCC 1902–1903),
that media must honor truth and human dignity (CCC 2494–2499), and that
economic systems must be ordered toward the human person (CCC 2426–2430). These
teachings expose how bullying becomes a “structure of sin” when personal vice
is scaled into cultural habit.
Truth is the first casualty of bullying—and the first remedy against it.
Intimidation thrives on distortion, exaggeration, and scapegoating. The
Catechism teaches that truthfulness is a moral obligation (CCC 2464–2470), and
when truth is spoken with steadiness and charity, it unsettles the bully’s
confidence. It refuses to mirror cruelty. It refuses to surrender moral
clarity. It stands firm without becoming harsh. This is Judith’s posture as she
enters the enemy camp, Martha’s posture as she serves Christ without fear,
Mary’s posture as she chooses contemplation over chaos, and Lazarus’s posture
as he stands alive in defiance of death. Their witness shows that fidelity, not
force, is the true measure of strength.
The Christian response to public bullying is neither retreat nor
retaliation. It is the quiet courage of those who refuse to cooperate with
evil. The Catechism calls this resistance to temptation (CCC 2846), commitment
to justice (CCC 1807), and defense of the vulnerable (CCC 2448). It manifests
in insisting that political authority serve the common good, that media honor
truth, and that economic systems respect the dignity of workers and the poor.
These commitments are not partisan—they are moral, rooted in the Gospel’s
demand that every person be treated as a child of God. In this way, the
faithful become a counter‑culture to intimidation, refusing to let fear dictate
their posture.
Beneath these social expressions lies a deeper spiritual reality: evil
consistently misjudges the strength of the faithful. The Israelites did not
flee because they knew fidelity is stronger than force. The saints of Bethany
did not tremble because they knew love is stronger than death. Bullies, whether
in ancient armies or modern institutions, underestimate the quiet resilience of
those who stand with God. Their confidence is loud but brittle; their dominance
is visible but shallow. The Catechism reminds believers that God’s providence
ultimately governs history (CCC 302–314), and this assurance exposes the
hollowness of intimidation.
Thus the lesson becomes a communal ethic: speak up with truth, stand firm
with dignity, link arms in solidarity, and refuse to be drawn into cycles of
intimidation. The world may label the faithful powerless, but Scripture,
history, and the witness of the saints testify otherwise. The bully’s boast is
temporary. The strength of the faithful endures. And in every age—from Judith’s
Israel to the modern public square—the quiet courage of those who refuse to bow
to fear becomes the means by which God overturns arrogance and vindicates the
humble.
Feast of St. Martha[2]
According to legend, St
Martha left Judea after Jesus' death, around AD 48, and went to Provence with
her sister Mary (Mary Magdalene) and her brother Lazarus. With them, Martha
first settled in Avignon (now in France). The Golden Legend, compiled in
the 13th century, records the Provençal tradition:
Saint Martha, hostess of
our Lord Jesus Christ, was born of royal kindred. Her father was named Syro and
her mother Encharia. The father of her was duke of Syria and places maritime,
and Martha with her sister possessed by the heritage of their mother three
places, that was, the castle Magdalen, and Bethany and a part of Jerusalem. It
is nowhere read that Martha had ever any husband or fellowship of man, but she
as a noble hostess ministered and served our Lord, and would also that her
sister should serve him and help her, for she thought that all the world was
not sufficient to serve such a guest.
After the ascension of our Lord, when the disciples were departed, she with her
brother Lazarus and her sister Mary, also Saint Maximum which baptized them,
and to whom they were committed of the Holy Ghost, and many others, were put
into a ship without sail, oars, or rudder, which by the conduct of our Lord
they came all to Marseilles, and after came to the territory of Aix in
Provence, and there converted the people to the faith. Martha was courteous and
gracious to the sight of the people.
The Golden Legend
also records the grand lifestyle imagined for Martha and her siblings in its
entry on Mary Magdalene:
Mary Magdalene had her
surname of Magdalo, a castle, and was born of right noble lineage and parents,
which were descended of the lineage of kings. And her father was named Cyrus,
and her mother Eucharis. She with her brother Lazarus, and her sister Martha,
possessed the castle of Magdalo, which is two miles from Nazareth, and Bethany,
the castle, which is nigh to Jerusalem, and also a great part of Jerusalem,
which, all these things they departed among them. In such wise that Mary had
the castle Magdalo, whereof she had her name Magdalene. And Lazarus had the
part of the city of Jerusalem, and Martha had to her part Bethany. And when
Mary gave herself to all delights of the body, and Lazarus extended all to
knighthood, Martha, who was wise, governed nobly her brother's part and also
her sister's, and also her own, and administered to knights, and her servants,
and to poor men, such necessities as they needed. Nevertheless, after the
ascension of our Lord, they sold all these things.
Love is a verb, a doing, sharing, acting, and
living part of more than just speech.[3]
Today
make some Lasagna to share with those you love.
National
Lasagna Day[4]
National Lasagna Day is
dedicated to appreciating lasagna. The true origins of when and how
National Lasagna Day came to be are unclear. However, Google reports of
National Lasagna Day began to appear in the 21st century. Lasagna is a flat-shaped
pasta that is layered with sauce and various ingredients, the most popular
including beef, spinach, cheese or seafood. Lasagna is believed to have
originated in Naples, Italy. The first lasagna recipe appears in The
Liber de Coquina (The book of cooking/cookery), which is one of the oldest
medieval cookbooks. Some have suggested that lasagna comes from the Greek word
laganon, which stands for a flat sheet of pasta dough. Others however
suggest that lasagna comes from a 14th-century British recipe called Loseyn,
which included layering ingredients between pasta sheets. National Lasagna Day
is observed on July 29th of every year.
National Lasagna Day Facts &
Quotes
As per the USDA, 100g of lasagna
contains 135 calories, 4.9g of fat and 15g of carbohydrate.
Lasagna is the favorite food of
Garfield, a comic strip cat.
Lasagna… nature's perfect food! –
Garfield
National Lasagna Day
Top Events and Things to Do
Enjoy lasagna specials on National
Lasagna Day at your favorite eatery. Many restaurants offer free lasagna,
discounts and Lasagna special to celebrate the day.
Try a healthier
alternative to the traditional lasagna. Lasagna can be vegan,
gluten-free, and made without dairy products. Here are some vegan lasagna
options:
1) Vegan lasagna with tofu ricotta and butternut squash
2) Mexican lasagna with layers of refried beans, avocado, guacamole and fresh
veggies
3) Zucchini and tomato lasagna with a cashew and herb cheese
4) Mushroom, pesto, spinach and tofu cheese lasagna
5) Eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, mushroom, tomato and basil lasagna with
tofu ricotta
Cook lasagna in the slow cooker,
rather than a conventional oven. As with baked lasagna, layer noodles,
cheese and toppings in the slow cooker and let it cook slowly. Slow
cooker meals are great for a busy family that still likes to eat a nutritious
meal at the end of a long day.
Cook your lasagna in a dishwasher.
According to MythBusters, the popular television show on the Discovery
network, this is definitely feasible.
Attend a cooking vacation in Italy
where you week-long cooking class at Taste of Italy cooking school in Tuscany,
Italy where they teach students how to make lasagna the traditional, Italian
way.
Novena in Honor of
Saint John Marie Vianney[5]
True Love
of Neighbor
Saint John Marie Baptist
Vianney because of your love of God you showed great charity towards your
neighbor. You could not preach on the Love of God without burning tears of
love. During your last years, it seemed as though you could not talk about
anything else or live for anything else. Thus, you sacrificed yourself to your
neighbor by consoling, absolving and sanctifying them to the limits of your
strength. Your charity inspires me to greater love of God, a love which is
shown more by acts then by words. Help me to love my neighbor generously as
Christ loves them. 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.
Around the Corner
10 coolest
summer getaways in Arizona: Mountains, lakes and a chilly cave trek
Martha is the
patron of cooks; tonight
make Ratatouille
and watch the movie with those you love.
Today is Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s birthday born 1947
Let Freedom
Ring Day 23 Freedom from Idolatry
Religion in
the Home for Preschool: July
Bucket List: Vineyard
World Tour:
Foodie:
National Eggplant Month
Explore the
benefits of turmeric
Spirit Hour: Martha’s
Bra
Daily
Devotions
Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: The
Sick, afflicted, and infirmed
Litany
of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (1953)
Richard Widmark • Jean Peters • Thelma Ritter Directed by Samuel Fuller • A Fox Noir of Cold‑War Paranoia, Gutter Survival, and the Thin Line Between Patriotism and Self‑Interest
Pickup on South Street is one of Samuel Fuller’s tightest street‑level noirs — a film where espionage, crime, and raw human desperation collide in the humid shadows of New York’s waterfront. Widmark’s Skip McCoy is the quintessential Fuller protagonist: a pickpocket with a shark’s grin, a loner who trusts no one, and a man whose accidental theft of a microfilm drags him into a geopolitical storm he never asked to enter.
Jean Peters’ Candy is the film’s bruised heart — loyal, vulnerable, and caught between love and manipulation. Her devotion to a man who doesn’t deserve it becomes the emotional hinge of the story. And then there is Thelma Ritter’s Moe, the stool pigeon with a soul — a woman who sells information to survive but refuses to sell out her country. Her performance earned an Oscar nomination and gives the film its moral center.
Fuller directs with his trademark punch: sweaty close‑ups, cramped rooms, sudden violence, and dialogue that snaps like a switchblade. The Cold War is not abstract here; it’s personal, invasive, and lurking in every alley. Patriotism becomes a question of survival rather than ideology.
🎞️ Film Card — Pickup on South Street (1953)
Pickup on South Street
Sources:
1. Production & Cultural Setting
A Noir of Paranoia and Survival Fuller’s world is sweaty, cramped, and suspicious — a city where patriotism is less ideology than instinct.
Widmark’s Razor‑Edge Charisma Skip McCoy is a thief with no illusions, a man whose cynicism becomes both shield and prison.
Peters’ Vulnerable Strength Candy’s loyalty is heartbreaking — a portrait of a woman who keeps choosing hope even when hope betrays her.
Ritter’s Moral Gravity Moe’s quiet patriotism becomes the film’s soul; her refusal to sell out her country is the story’s most courageous act.
Cold War in the Gutters Espionage isn’t glamorous here — it’s sweaty, violent, and fought by people who never asked to be involved.
2. Story Summary
A Theft That Changes Everything Skip lifts a wallet on the subway — unaware it contains microfilm sought by Communist agents.
Candy’s Desperate Devotion She tries to retrieve the film for her boyfriend, not knowing he’s a traitor.
The Underworld Tightens Federal agents, gangsters, and spies converge, each wanting the film for their own ends.
Moe’s Sacrifice Her refusal to betray her country costs her life — the film’s most haunting moment.
Skip’s Reluctant Turn A man who cares for nothing is forced to care — choosing loyalty over survival.
3. Moral & Emotional Resonances
A. Patriotism Without Romance Fuller strips ideology down to instinct — loyalty becomes a matter of conscience, not slogans.
B. Cynicism Meets Conscience Skip’s transformation is subtle but real: a thief who discovers he still has a moral line.
C. Love in a Brutal World Candy’s devotion reveals how tenderness survives even in the harshest corners of the city.
D. The Cost of Integrity Moe’s sacrifice is the film’s moral anchor — a reminder that courage often looks ordinary.
E. Danger in the Everyday A subway ride, a stolen wallet, a chance encounter — history turns on small moments.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Night on the Waterfront
Drink: Rye whiskey neat — sharp, urban, unvarnished.
Plate: Pastrami on rye with mustard — street‑level, honest, New York to the bone.
Atmosphere: Low light, a fan humming, blinds half‑drawn like a noir frame.
Symbol: A folded newspaper — the kind Skip uses to hide his hands while he steals.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where is cynicism masking a deeper conscience. Where do I need to choose loyalty over convenience. Where is danger hiding in the ordinary corners of my life. Where is courage waiting to look small but cost something. Where is truth asking me to act rather than observe.
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