Smoke in This Life Not the Next

August 13 — 101 and Cigar Seconds

There is a certain clarity that comes from a simple pour and a cigar that never made the premium shelf. Wild Turkey 101 burns with a straightforward honesty, and a cigar second carries the marks of imperfection—an uneven wrapper, a slight discoloration, a flaw that kept it from being counted among the refined. Yet both still do their work. Both still offer warmth. Both still rise.

So do most souls.

The old accounts of Blessed Margaret Mary tell of Mother Philiberte Emmanuel de Montoux, a woman whose fidelity steadied an entire Order. Her life was disciplined, her charity constant, her service admired. And still, the Master revealed she required suffrages before she could endure the full brightness of glory. Not because she failed. Not because she rebelled. But because even the strongest souls remain unfinished.

A man holding a 101 pour and a flawed cigar understands this intuitively. He knows his own life has been marked by unevenness—good intentions wrapped in imperfect execution, virtues with small tears along the edges, fidelity that held but wavered. He is not wicked. He is simply incomplete.

Tonight is for the souls like that. The ones whose goodness was real but imperfect. The ones who served quietly and died without applause. The ones who almost reached completion but still need charity offered on their behalf.

Offer suffrages for them. Offer them for the ones who steadied you. Offer them for yourself, who is still being shaped by grace that finishes what effort cannot.

Even the flawed rise when mercy is spent on them.

AUGUST 13 Thursday Eleventh Week Pentecost

St. Hippolytus-Lefty Day-Filet Mignon Day

Ester, Chapter 4D, Verse 5

She glowed with perfect beauty, and her face was as joyous as it was lovely, though her heart was pounding with FEAR.

Ester, after making a total and complete commitment to saving the people and fasting for 3 days, approached her husband the King. She was at peace. This verse reflects the joy of the woman in Mark’s chapter 5 whom Christ healed:

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. ²⁸ She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” ²⁹Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” ³¹But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” ³²And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.

An unclean person in general had to avoid that which was holy and take steps to return to a state of cleanliness. Uncleanliness placed a person in a "dangerous" condition under threat of divine retribution, even death, if the person approached the sanctuary. Uncleanness could lead to expulsion of the land's inhabitants and its peril lingered upon those who did not undergo purification. Bodily discharges (blood for women, semen for men) represented a temporary loss of strength and life and movement toward death. Because decaying corpses discharged, so natural bodily discharges were reminders of sin and death. Physical imperfections representing a movement from "life" toward "death" moved a person ritually away from God who was associated with life. Purification rituals symbolized movement from death toward life and accordingly involved blood, the color red, and spring (lit. "living") water, all symbols of life.[1] Christ also being clean took this woman’s uncleanliness and gave her his Holiness. Indeed, she was filled with wonder and awe.

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Christ did the same for the two princes of His church, and He will do the same for you. Be clean!

Copilot’s Take

The Catechism teaches that evil is never an abstract force; it is a distortion of the good, a wound in the human heart, and a rebellion against the life God intends. CCC 409 calls the human condition a “dramatic struggle between good and evil,” and CCC 1707 reminds us that though humanity is “wounded by sin,” we are not abandoned—Christ has already won the decisive victory. St. Hippolytus understood this clearly: evil is not a rival to God but a parasite on the good, collapsing wherever truth, holiness, and sacrificial love are lived.

America’s struggle with evil is not primarily political—it is spiritual. The Catechism insists that sin begins in the heart before it ever appears in laws, institutions, or culture. CCC 1869 speaks of “structures of sin,” but it roots them in personal choices that accumulate into cultural habits. When fear replaces faith, when comfort replaces sacrifice, when anger replaces charity, evil gains ground—not because it is strong, but because the good is neglected. The hemorrhaging woman and Queen Esther show the opposite: fear confronted by faith becomes courage; uncleanness touched by Christ becomes holiness; trembling becomes peace. Their stories reveal the path forward for any nation: return to the One who heals.

Confronting evil in America, then, begins with the same movement Hippolytus described—truth over deception, holiness over compromise, sacramental life over spiritual drift. CCC 2846 teaches us to pray daily, “Do not lead us into temptation,” not because God tempts us, but because we ask Him to strengthen us in the battle. Evil is confronted when families pray together, when churches preach repentance instead of comfort, when Christians choose integrity over convenience, and when communities defend the dignity of every human life. The Catechism’s vision is simple and severe: evil is defeated not by outrage, but by saints. Christ became poor so we might become rich in grace; He became “unclean” on the Cross so we might be made clean. The same exchange is offered to America—if she will touch His cloak.

St. Hippolytus offers a bracing clarity about evil that fits naturally beside today’s readings. He saw the Christian life as a steady march through contested territory, where holiness is not merely a state but a stance. His writings show a Church learning to pray, worship, and live with vigilance—aware that sin distorts, fear paralyzes, and deception corrodes the soul long before it ever appears in public life. His reconciliation before martyrdom underscores his central conviction: evil is defeated not by argument or force, but by returning to the truth and standing in it.

For Hippolytus, confronting evil begins with refusing to let it define reality. He taught that the enemy thrives on confusion, half‑truths, and moral drift, while the Christian counters with clarity of doctrine, purity of life, and fidelity to Christ’s presence in the sacraments. His vision aligns with the Catechism’s insistence that the battle is first interior—won when fear yields to faith, when the unclean are made clean, and when the trembling heart steps toward God rather than away. In a culture wrestling with its own shadows, Hippolytus reminds us that evil collapses wherever Christ is loved without compromise and truth is lived without fear.

International Left-Handers Day^{^[2]}

International Left-Handers Day is a day to bring attention to the struggles which lefties face daily in a right-handed society. August 13th is observed as International Left-Handers Day.

International Left-Handers Day Facts

10% of people are left-handed according to a report by Scientific American.

Geniuses are more likely to be left-handed - 20% of the top scoring SAT takers are left-handed.

In 2013, 31% of Major League Baseball pitchers are left-handed.

lefties: Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo da Vinci

Filet Mignon Day^{^[3]}

“When you’re a failure in Hollywood, that’s like starving to death outside a banquet hall, with smells of Filet Mignon driving you crazy.”

~ Marilyn Monroe

There is a cut of meat that is the very definition of luxury and decadence, one that falls from the lips of the common people and the rich debutante royalty of Hollywood in equal measure. Filet Mignon is French for “dainty fillet” and first found its way into the world in the 1906 book,” The Four Million”. Filet Minion Day celebrates the history of this steak and the delicious role it has played in exquisite meals. Tenderloin. The very word implies a rich and succulent meal that absolutely melts on the tongue, but even in this most perfect cut of meat, there is a portion that is unquestionably the best. This portion is the fabled Filet Mignon. This delicious cut is served in 4 to 8oz portions and comes prepared in one of three varieties, seared in a pan, grilled over coals or the most famous, wrapped in bacon. The bacon is typically added to enrich the piece with fat, as Filet Mignon tends to leanness. Even though it comes from the tenderloin, there are still multiple cuts of Filet Mignon one can choose to indulge in. The prime cut is the most popular and is available from any form of cattle, the Angus Cut, however, comes specifically from vegetarian fed beef and is far and away one of the best forms of beef available. If you’re truly feeling decadent, you can purchase a 32oz whole Filet Mignon Roast. It may set you back about $65 a pound (That’s $130) but it’ll be worth every succulent bite.

How to Celebrate Filet Mignon Day

If you don’t have a talent with cooking, you can head out to your local steakhouse and enjoy an expertly prepared cut of Filet Mignon. If you’re feeling more adventurous you can head down to your local butcher and get an excellent cut of meat that you can prepare yourself! Marinate it in a wonderful sauce while you get the coals ready, wrap it in bacon, and set it upon the grill to cook. Gently though! Filet Mignon is best-served medium rare so that the soft tender nature of the meat will be preserved. This is just the first step on enjoying Filet Mignon Day, but it doesn’t have to be the last!

Carpetbag Steak^{^[4]}

Australia’s carpetbag steak combines two of the country’s most celebrated products: fresh, sea-bright oysters and (ideally) free-range, grass-fed beef. The name of this specialty derives from the shape of the finished dish. Although many recipes call for broiling the steaks or grilling them over charcoal, those methods tend to dry out the meat and prevent its beefy juices from mingling into the oozy lushness of the salty oysters. Better to sauté the steaks for a moistly tender result with maximum flavor contrast. Carpetbag Steaks

Serves 4

Necessary equipment: Kitchen string and a trussing needle or small satay-type skewers 4 filet mignon steaks, each about 2 inches thick or 7 to 8 ounces Salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 medium-size oysters, as freshly shucked as possible 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 to 3 anchovy fillets (optional), finely mashed.

1. Using a very sharp knife with a thin blade, cut a 2-inch-long horizontal slit on the edge of each steak to make a pocket about 2 inches deep.

2. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto both sides of each oyster. Slip 2 oysters, side by side, into the pocket of each steak.

3. Close the opening of each pocket, either by sewing it shut using kitchen string and a trussing needle, or by fastening it with a small skewer. Pat the steaks dry on both sides with paper towels.

4. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron or copper, over moderate heat. When the bubbling subsides, arrange the oyster-stuffed steaks in the skillet, making sure that they do not touch one another.

5. Cook the steaks on one side until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes, then turn them over and lightly brown them on the second side, about 3 to 4 minutes time. Reduce the heat to low and cook the steaks, turning them frequently, 7 minutes longer for very rare steak, or 9 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Anything more cooked than that will hardly be worth eating. Transfer the steaks to individual serving plates.

6. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and stir in the parsley. Spoon some of the parsley butter over each steak before serving. If you like the edgy sophistication that anchovies can impart, stir the mashed fillets into the parsley butter before spooning it over the steaks.

Let Freedom Ring Day 37 Freedom from Gossip

Around the Corner

Best Place to visit in August: Cambria, California

I personally think there’s nothing better than a Californian summer road trip, and I highly recommend stopping at this relaxed and welcoming coastal town if you’re traveling up or down the iconic Highway One route.

Located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, this month is a great time to visit as there’s low rainfall and the weather is warm enough for hiking, cycling, picnicking, exploring tide pools, spotting seals and swimming.

Moonstone Beach is truly a gem, where you can hunt for moonstones and semi-precious stones that wash up on the shore as nearby rocks erode. It also features a charming mile-long boardwalk perfect for a scenic stroll.

Cambria is also a foodie’s heaven and there’s an excellent collection of restaurants and cuisines to choose from as well as nearby wineries.

Visitors’ Center Address: 767 Main Street, Cambria, California 93428

Map Location

Average temperature – 75 degrees

My favorite highlights…

Taking a stroll across the gorgeous Moonstone Beach, one of California’s most beautiful beaches.

Walking through the historic downtown filled with shopping boutiques, restaurants and a cool micro-brewery.

Hiking the ultra-scenic Coastal Bluff Trail at Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.

The bull seals finish their moulting this month, and I loved watching them relaxing on the beach. They can be very noisy at times though!

Thursday Feast

Thursday is the day of the week that our Lord gave himself up for consumption. Thursday commemorates the last supper. Some theologians believe after Sunday Thursday is the holiest day of the week. We should then try to make this day special by making a visit to the blessed sacrament chapel, Mass or even stopping by the grave of a loved one. Why not plan to count the blessing of the week and thank our Lord. Plan a special meal. Be at Peace.

According to Mary Agreda^{^[5]} in her visions it was on a Thursday at six o'clock in the evening and at the approach of night that the Angel Gabriel approached and announced her as Mother of God and she gave her fiat.

Idaho dinner Menu

Penicillin cocktail

Hearty Potato Soup

Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Bucket List Trip: “The World” next port of call:

On August 13, 2026, The World residential yacht is scheduled to be in Sitka, Alaska, during its North Pacific and Alaska exploration segment. This leg of the 2026 Journey immerses residents in the rugged beauty of the Alaskan wilderness, with opportunities to encounter temperate rainforests, volcanic landscapes, and glacier‑carved fjords. Wildlife here is abundant—bald eagles, brown bears, humpback whales, and sea otters—many thriving in ecosystems shaped by the confluence of ocean, ice, and forest. The region’s dramatic geology and rich biodiversity make coastal Alaska one of the most extraordinary natural environments on Earth.

Alfred Hitchcock, born on August 13, 1899

Bullying No Way Week

Spirit Hour: Ti Punch

Foodie-magic bowl

Crayfish Party

Prosecco Day

Daily Devotions

Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Victims of clergy sexual abuse

Religion in the Home for Preschool: August

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

Drops of Christ’s Blood

Universal Man Plan

Rosary

[1]http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/clean-unclean.html

[2] http://www.wincalendar.com/International-Left-Handers-Day

[3]https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/filet-mignon-day/

[4] Sheraton, Mimi. 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List.

[5] Venerable Mary of Agreda. The Mystical City of God: Complete Edition Containing all Four Volumes with Illustrations (p. 770). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition

CAUSE FOR ALARM! (1951)

Loretta Young • Barry Sullivan • Bruce Cowling Directed by Tay Garnett • Produced by Arthur Pierson A Suburban‑Noir Spiral Where Paranoia Turns Daylight Into Danger

Cause for Alarm! (1951) occupies the rare corner of noir where the shadows are replaced by sunshine and the menace comes not from alleys but from the American home. Shot in bright suburban daylight, the film turns ordinary domestic life into a pressure chamber. Loretta Young plays a wife trapped in a nightmare built from misunderstanding, bureaucracy, and her husband’s unraveling mind. Barry Sullivan’s performance as the paranoid, bedridden husband gives the film its engine: fear that metastasizes into accusation.

This is noir without trench coats or neon. The darkness is psychological. The trap is procedural.

🎞️ Film Card — Cause for Alarm! (1951)

Cause for Alarm! 1951 • 6.7/10 IMDb • 74 min

A domestic‑suspense noir where a paranoid husband sends a letter accusing his innocent wife, triggering a chain of misunderstandings that tighten around her like a noose. Daylight replaces shadows, but the dread is unmistakably noir: a woman fighting systems that interpret her every action as guilt. Film Noir • Domestic Suspense • Psychological Drama
Director Tay Garnett Writer Mel Dinelli (adaptation) Stars Loretta Young, Barry Sullivan, Bruce Cowling Studio MGM Notable Daylight noir; paranoia-driven plot; tension built from ordinary suburban routines

1. Production & Cultural Setting

Daylight Noir Suburbia becomes the stage for dread — no shadows needed.

Loretta Young’s Precision Her performance anchors the film with controlled panic.

Paranoia as Post‑War Anxiety The fear is internal, not criminal — a mind turning domestic life into threat.

Procedural Trap Mail routes, doctors’ visits, neighbors’ chatter — all become instruments of suspicion.

Score Minimal, functional, letting silence do the tightening.

2. Story Summary

A Husband Unraveling George Jones believes his wife is plotting to kill him.
The Letter He mails an accusation that becomes the film’s ticking bomb.
The Misinterpretations Every ordinary interaction becomes incriminating.
The Spiral Ellen Jones races to stop the consequences of a lie she never told.
The Resolution A quiet, devastating release — innocence proven too late to erase the damage.

3. Moral & Emotional Resonances

A. Paranoia Makes Victims of the Innocent Fear weaponizes misunderstanding.

B. Systems Can Misread Truth Institutions follow procedure, not reality.

C. Domestic Life Is Not Safe From Noir The home can be the most dangerous setting.

D. Innocence Needs Clarity, Not Assumptions Misinterpretation becomes its own antagonist.

E. Fear Is Contagious One man’s collapse becomes another’s crisis.

4. Hospitality Pairing — Suburbia Under Strain

Drink: Wild Turkey 101 — sharp, honest, daylight noir in a glass.
Plate: Butter crackers — the polite snack of a home hiding tension.
Atmosphere: A living room with curtains half‑drawn — bright but uneasy.
Symbol: A sealed envelope — truth distorted by delivery.