Sun, Aug 30 —
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Trust & Provision
Habano — Balanced, Gentle
Wild Turkey 101
Provision is never abstract. It arrives in forms that expose the soul’s true condition. Tonight’s Habano burns with a quiet steadiness, the kind that reminds a man that gentleness is not softness but ordered strength. Wild Turkey 101 stands beside it with its honest heat, a reminder that God’s gifts are meant to fortify, not flatter.
The vision of St. Corpreus and King Malachy sharpens the lesson. A bishop at prayer. A specter interrupting the Office. A king reduced to fire and rags. Malachy had been entrusted with the goods of the earth — authority, wealth, the dignity of a Christian ruler. These were meant to be instruments of mercy and justice. Instead, he bent them toward convenience, vanity, and the weakness of a confessor who accepted a gold ring rather than offering correction.
So the goods turned against him. The ring became a collar of fire. The neglected poor became the rags he now wore. The mantle of kingship became a mantle of confusion.
This is the exactness of Purgatory: a man is purified by the very goods he misused. Yet even here, God provides. The prayers of Corpreus and his Chapter mitigated the suffering, then delivered the king entirely.
Tonight asks the same question: Where is God providing for me right now — not in comfort, but in purification? Where is He turning my misused goods into instruments of truth?
This smoke rises as trust in the God who provides precisely what saves.
AUGUST 30 Fourteenth
Sunday after Pentecost
1 Maccabees, Chapter 9, Verse 6
The rats are the first to
leave a sinking ship. You can tell when something
is about to fail because
large numbers of people
begin to leave it.
Death of Judas Maccabee[1]
Judas cleverly negotiated
a treaty of alliance with Rome that recognized Judea as an independent state.
For the first time since before the Babylonian exile, the Jews had their own
sovereign nation. Demetrius feared a Rome-supported Judea might induce another
of his inherited enemies, Egypt, to join the alliance and invade his empire
through Judea. Basing his actions on reports that the Maccabean army was
disbanding, Demetrius dispatched a 24,000-man expedition in the spring of 160
bc. Sure enough, Judas was unable to mobilize more than 3,000 troops. Joining
battle at Elasa, about six miles east of Beth Horon, the armies clashed briefly
before the Jewish warriors, demoralized by the eight-to-one odds, broke and
fled, leaving their peerless commander with just 800 valiant veterans. Leading
his small band in a desperate charge on the enemy’s right flank, Judas killed a
great number of Seleucids but failed in the crucial objective of killing their
commander, General Bacchides. Instead, Judas and his little group of loyalists
were wiped out. It had taken the Syrians far too long, but in Bacchides they
finally found a leader capable of concocting a viable strategy and instilling
needed flexibility into Syrian formations. Considering the overpowering
numerical advantage the Syrians enjoyed in that April clash, it could be said
the Maccabees were drawn into a trap even if they realized it from the beginning,
for they could not afford to allow this pagan multitude to rampage unchecked
throughout Judea. Confronting it when they did, before they had time to
assemble sufficient soldiers, was unavoidable—and fatal.
The Legacy of Judas Maccabeus
For no small reason, Judas
was called “the Hammer.” His unparalleled battlefield adaptability, proficiency
in exploiting an enemy’s mistakes, ability to fight at night, and effective use
of terrain, surprise, and espionage made him the bane of succeeding Seleucid
commanders. After Judas’s death, his brothers Jonathan and Simon eventually
achieved the Judean dream of religious and political independence. It was the
first time in recorded history that a subject people had won a revolutionary
war for religious freedom. Because he fought in just one poorly chronicled war,
Judas Maccabeus has largely been lost among the giant shadows cast by Alexander
the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Shaka Zulu, and
other great conquerors. Unlike them, Judas was a man of noble motives who
fought because he had no other choice. Unfettered by outmoded convention, he
taught himself and his followers to fight via methods too subtle to be
perceived by their powerful but outmoded adversaries. Today’s high-tech
military strategists would be well served to study the humble partisan leader
of long ago, who wanted nothing more for himself and his people than to be
allowed to live and worship in peace.
Martyrdom[2]
If we look at
the modern world, we see nothing but hostility toward the Faith. In the
Middle East, Christians are being martyred in the most brutal way. Every day
brings a new threat. Persecution is open, and the choice is clear: Serve Christ
or die. To live and embrace the Faith in such circumstances requires a
great deal of holy fearlessness.
Even in the “civilized”
West, persecution is no less present, albeit in a different and more subtle
form. We are asked by the powers that be to acquiesce, to compromise on the
most fundamental moral issues that exist.
·
Things
like the nature of marriage
·
The
protection of innocent human life in the womb
·
The
nature and purpose of human sexuality
Our suffering may be in the form of an angry boss, the loss of a business, or simply persecution with words. While no one is holding a knife to our throat, the choice is just as clear: Serve Christ or suffer. Tragically, there are many bishops and prelates who, like the Pharisees, fear the opinion of men more than they fear God. There are many in the hierarchy who would rather make peace with the world and its evil ideologies than suffer with Jesus in obedience to the will of God. As St. Paul said, “I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, [they] live as enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18). These men will have their reward, but as for us, let us serve Christ. Let us choose always to obey God rather than men, no matter what the cost. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit for the holy boldness that he gave on the day of Pentecost to the once cowardly St. Peter. Let us strive after the courage of men like St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher, who joyfully chose martyrdom rather than deny the truths of the Faith. Most of all, let us take up our crosses and follow Christ, who said, “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” May the will of God be done.
Copilot’s Take
The Catechism teaches that
fortitude is not the absence of fear but the mastery of it, the steady refusal
to abandon the good when the cost rises. Judas Maccabeus stands as one of
Scripture’s purest embodiments of that virtue: a man who did not seek conflict,
who did not hunger for glory, who did not imagine himself a conqueror, but who
understood that fidelity sometimes requires a sword. His eight hundred were not
braver by temperament; they were braver by formation. Their consciences had
been shaped by worship, by covenant, by the memory of God’s deeds. CCC 1778
reminds us that conscience is a judgment of reason, not a feeling — and in moments
of crisis, only a well‑formed conscience can withstand the pressure that
scatters the crowd.
America’s present turmoil is not a
battlefield, yet it bears the same spiritual architecture. The powers that
demand conformity do not march with spears; they move through institutions,
markets, and cultural scripts. The pressure is quieter, but no less real. CCC
2242 speaks directly into this moment: when civil directives contradict the
moral order, the Christian is obliged not to follow them. This is not a call to
rebellion; it is a call to fidelity. It is the same choice Judas faced, the
same choice Thomas More faced, the same choice every generation faces when the
world asks for compromise in exchange for peace. The Catechism does not promise
that obedience to God will be socially convenient. It promises only that
obedience is necessary for salvation.
The danger in America is not open
persecution but the slow corrosion of courage. White martyrdom — the loss of
status, employment, reputation, or comfort — is easier to avoid, and therefore
more spiritually perilous. Many slip away not because they hate the Faith, but
because they fear the cost of keeping it. CCC 675 warns of a final deception
that offers peace at the price of apostasy, a counterfeit harmony that demands
silence about truth. This deception is already visible: the invitation to
adjust moral doctrine, to soften the edges of the Gospel, to treat divine
revelation as negotiable. Judas refused such illusions. He knew that peace
purchased by surrender is not peace but captivity.
Yet the remnant remains. The
Church has always been carried forward by the eight hundred — the ones who stay
when the odds turn, who refuse to flee when the crowd dissolves. Their courage
is not loud; it is sacramental. It is the courage of parents who teach their
children the truth, of workers who refuse dishonest practices, of pastors who
preach the Gospel without trimming it to fit the age. CCC 1808 calls this
“constancy in the pursuit of the good,” and constancy is the virtue America
most needs: not rage, not defiance, but the quiet, immovable fidelity that
cannot be bought.
In the end, Judas’s legacy is not
military brilliance but moral clarity. He teaches that the faithful man does
not seek conflict, but neither does he abandon the field when conflict arrives.
He teaches that suffering is not a failure but a witness. He teaches that the
remnant is enough when the remnant is faithful. And he teaches that the true
victory is not survival but obedience. America does not need louder Christians;
it needs Christians who have decided, once and for all, that they will not slip
away when the cost rises. That is the Catechism’s call. That is the Maccabean
call. That is the call of Christ.
Fourteenth Sunday after
Pentecost[3]
Seeking the kingdom of God and its justice.
AT the Introit of the Mass, join
with the priest in awaking in your heart a fervent desire for heaven by these
words: Behold, O God, our protector, and look on the face of Thy Christ; for
better is one day in Thy courts above thousands. How lovely are Thy
tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of
the Lord” (Ps. Ixxxiii.).
Prayer.
Preserve Thy Church, we beseech
Thee, O Lord, with perpetual mercy, and since without Thee mortal man goes
astray, may we be ever withheld by Thy grace from what is hurtful, and directed
to what is profitable.
EPISTLE.
Gal. v. 10-24.
Brethren: Walk in the Spirit, and
you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the
spirit: and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to
another: so that you do not the things that you would. But if you are led by
the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are, fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatry, witchcrafts,
enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects,
envies, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like, of which I foretell you,
as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the
kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience,
benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency,
chastity. Against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have
crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscence’s.
What is it to walk in the
Spirit?
It is, in all
things and at all times, to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and not
merely to abstain from the works of the flesh, but rather to crucify the flesh
and its lusts, and earnestly to aspire after those fruits which the Holy Ghost
produces in men such as charity, peace, and joy. So shall we belong to Christ
and become partakers of eternal life. Is it not wonderful that while all
Christians desire to belong to Christ, and to be heirs of His kingdom, they are
unwilling to crucify the flesh with its vices and concupiscence’s, and to
destroy its lusts, as though they believed this to be required only of the
clergy, whereas it is to all Christians that Christ says: “If any man will come
after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. xvi.
24.)
GOSPEL.
Matt vi. 24-33.
At that time Jesus said to His
disciples: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and
love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, be not solicitous for your life,
what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on.
Is not the life more than the meat, and the body more than the raiment?
Behold the birds
of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and
your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are not you of much more value
than they? And which of you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
And for raiment why are you solicitous?
Consider the
lilies of the field how they grow: they labor not, neither do they spin. But I
say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.
And if the grass of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into the
oven, God doth so clothe: how much more you, O ye of little faith! Be not
solicitous therefore, saying:
What shall we eat, or what
shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed?
For after all
these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need
of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and His
justice: and all these things shall be added unto you.
30 DAY TRIBUTE TO MARY 16th ROSE:
Institution of the Eucharist
30 Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger
MEDICINAL PLANTS Day 16 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM-Revealed by Heaven
to Luz De María
AVOID CROWDS When you hear of a strongly contagious respiratory illness,
do not expose yourselves in crowds, or in places where you have to share
several hours with your brothers and sisters, for example in airplanes and
collective means of transport. Wait patiently for the said disease to abate.
People of God be obedient
and be patient, so that with due discernment and given My calls, you are
cautious in undertaking trips that are not a priority. Saint Michael Archangel,
18.08.2019
Bucket Item trip:
A week-long pilgrimage to Medjugorje, nestled in the hills of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, offers a profound journey into prayer, healing, and
Marian devotion. Since 1981, this humble village has drawn millions of pilgrims
seeking peace and spiritual renewal through the reported apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Here’s a sample 7-day itinerary that blends sacred
tradition with contemplative depth:
🕊️ Day 1: Arrival & Orientation
Fly into Split or Dubrovnik, Croatia, then transfer to Medjugorje.
Settle into your guesthouse or spiritual retreat center.
Evening Mass at St. James Church, followed by quiet reflection
near the statue of Our Lady.
🌄
Day 2: Apparition Hill (Podbrdo)
Morning Rosary and Mass.
Hike to Apparition Hill, where the Virgin Mary first appeared to the
visionaries.
Pause at the Blue Cross, a site of healing and grace.
Evening Eucharistic Adoration under the stars.
✝️
Day 3: Cross Mountain (Krizevac)
Early morning climb with Stations of the Cross.
Celebrate Mass at the summit near the 30-foot white cross built in 1933.
Afternoon visit to the Community of Cenacolo, a place of testimony
and renewal.
🙏
Day 4: Spiritual Encounters
Attend English-language Mass at St. James Church.
Participate in Veneration of the Cross and Adoration in the
chapel.
If available, meet one of the visionaries for personal testimony.
Evening Rosary with villagers anticipating Our Lady’s arrival.
🕯️
Day 5: Healing & Reflection
Visit the Risen Christ statue, known for its mysterious
weeping.
Quiet time for journaling, confession, or spiritual direction.
Blessing of religious items during Croatian Mass.
🌿 Day 6: Cultural & Contemplative Day
Optional excursion to nearby Mostar or Blagaj Tekija,
blending Christian and Islamic heritage.
Return for sunset prayer and final group sharing.
✈️
Day 7: Departure
Morning Mass and farewell blessing.
Transfer back to Split or Dubrovnik for your flight home.
Around the Corner
How to celebrate Aug 30th
End the day with a trip to the beach, celebrating National Beach Day with a splash. Remember, it’s not about the
grand gestures; just embrace the whimsical spirit of each holiday and make the
most of this motley assortment of celebrations. Cheers to a day filled with
unexpected delights and simple pleasures!
Foodie National Panini Month
Daily Devotions
Unite yourself in the work of the Porters
of St. Joseph by joining
them in fasting: Today's Fast: The lonely and destitute
Religion in the Home for Preschool: August
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR (1945)
Basil Rathbone • Nigel Bruce • Aubrey Mather Directed by Roy William Neill • Universal Pictures A Chamber of Shadows, Suspicion, and Calculated Doom Where Fear Gathers, and a Detective Cuts Through the Ritual of Lies
Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear is a cloistered nightmare — a mystery set not in London’s fog but within the suffocating walls of Drearcliff House, where seven men cling to a fellowship built on nostalgia and secrecy. One by one, they die. Each death arrives with ritual precision, each preceded by a macabre envelope containing a handful of orange pips. Holmes senses the pattern: fear is being harvested, and someone is pruning the house from within.
Holmes moves through the story with monastic clarity, refusing to be seduced by superstition or theatrics. Watson, steady and humane, becomes the anchor in a world where grown men behave like frightened children. Their partnership is the lantern in a house where ritual has replaced reason and camaraderie has decayed into paranoia.
This is mystery without spectacle. The danger is cowardice. The fire is truth. The verdict is exposure.
🎞️ Film Card — Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear (1945)
House of Fear 1945 • Mystery • Gothic Noir • 1h 9m
Members of the “Good Comrades” die one by one under the guise of supernatural terror. Holmes uncovers a plot of greed masked by ritual, fear, and staged doom. Mystery • Gothic Noir • Psychological Suspense • Ascetic Reason
Director Roy William Neill Cinematography Virgil Miller Stars Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Aubrey Mather Studio Universal Pictures Notable The orange‑pips omen; the claustrophobic Drearcliff setting; one of the series’ most atmospheric chamber mysteries.
1. Production & Cultural Setting
Wartime Austerity A world strained by rationing, shaping tight, claustrophobic storytelling.
Holmes as Purifier Rathbone’s ascetic clarity cuts through superstition and fear.
Gothic Chamber Mystery A single house becomes a moral stage — fear as architecture.
Economy of Suspense Lean, psychological tension shaped by wartime constraints.
Fear as Weapon Terror is manufactured, ritualized, and exploited.
2. Story Summary
The Good Comrades A fellowship bound by nostalgia, now unraveling under threat.
The Orange Pips Macabre warnings preceding each death.
Holmes’s Investigation Reason enters a house ruled by fear.
The Plot Greed masked by ritual, murder disguised as fate.
The Unmasking Holmes exposes the architect of terror and restores clarity.
3. Moral & Emotional Resonances
A. Fear Thrives in Silence Unspoken truths become weapons.
B. Sentiment Without Virtue Decays The Comrades’ fellowship collapses under cowardice.
C. Reason Is a Lantern Holmes’s clarity dispels the house’s superstition.
D. Greed Hides Behind Ritual False omens mask human malice.
E. Truth Requires Courage Holmes confronts what the Comrades refuse to face.
4. Hospitality Pairing — Drawn From the Film’s Spirit
Food — Heavy, Quiet, Drearcliff‑Gothic Mutton Stew — Thick, somber, ancestral. Brown Bread — Watson’s grounding warmth. Blackberries — Tartness echoing the film’s dread.
Drink — Dark, Steady, Unmasking Peated Scotch — Smoke that cuts through illusion. Strong Tea — Midnight vigilance.
Atmosphere — The Chamber of Fear Lighting: Low, candle‑shadowed. Sound: Distant creaks, quiet breathing. Setting: A long table with empty chairs. Symbol: An envelope of orange pips beside a magnifying glass — fear and truth intertwined.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where has fear shaped my decisions.
Where do I cling to ritual instead of truth.
Where must I confront what I have avoided.
Where is Watson’s steadiness needed in my house of shadows.
Where is the architect of fear hiding in my own life.
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