Smoke in This Life Not the Next
Tuesday — Ordinary Time
Steadfast Duty
Bottom Shelf Edition
Earthy, calm (Nicaraguan)
Wild Turkey 101
“Ingratitude is unknown in Heaven.”
Tuesday carries a heavier shadow than Monday. In the ancient rhythm of Holy Week, Tuesday night is the hour when betrayal ripens — the quiet moment when Judas agrees to hand Christ over. By Wednesday morning, the consequences begin to move. Betrayal is rarely sudden; it is the slow surrender of duty, the quiet drift of a heart that stops returning to the good.
A Nicaraguan cigar suits such a night. Earthy, calm, grounded. It reminds you that holiness is not dramatic. It is the steady refusal to drift, the quiet fidelity that keeps a man from becoming the kind who bargains away what is sacred.
Wild Turkey 101 stands as the spirit of resolve. Strong, straightforward, honest. It is the bourbon of men who understand that loyalty must be renewed daily, not assumed.
Even Purgatory teaches this. Some souls suffer intensely; others, having nearly completed their purification, feel only the ache of longing and the first rays of glory. St. Perpetua saw her young brother Dinocrates thirsty and wounded, unable to reach the waters before him. She prayed. Three days later he appeared radiant, healed, drinking freely from a golden cup. Fidelity restored. Joy begun.
So Tuesday asks: Where am I tempted to drift. What loyalty must be guarded. What duty must be reclaimed.
Offer your smoke as a pledge.
Let me not betray what is mine to keep.
AUGUST 18 Tuesday in the
Octave of the Assumption
Deuteronomy, Chapter
32, Verse 26-27
I said: I will make
an end of them and blot out their name from human memory, had I not FEARED the
provocation by the enemy, that their foes might misunderstand, and say, “Our
own hand won the victory; the LORD had nothing to do with any of it.”
The whole song is a poetic sermon, having for its
theme the Lord’s benefits to Israel and Israel’s ingratitude and idolatry in
turning to the gods of the nations; these sins will be punished by the nations
themselves; in turn, the foolish pride of the nations will be punished, and the
Lord’s honor will be vindicated.
Copilot’s Take
The Song of
Moses opens with a divine hesitation that speaks directly into the moral storms
of our age. God considers erasing Israel yet restrains His hand—not because
Israel is innocent, but because the surrounding nations would misinterpret His
judgment and boast, “Our own hand won the victory.” This is the fierce humility
of divine justice: God will not allow evil to narrate His work. CCC 304 teaches
that God governs the world with a providence that permits human freedom but
never surrenders the final meaning of events. Deuteronomy 32 reveals that
providence includes guarding the narrative itself from human pride.
The
Catechism deepens this theme by describing sin as a distortion of truth and
perception. CCC 1849–1851 teaches that sin is a revolt against God rooted in
falsehood, and CCC 1869 warns that evil can become structural—embedded in
institutions, ideologies, and national ambitions. When societies forget God,
they drift into blindness, mistaking power for righteousness and success for
divine approval. CCC 1887–1889 cautions that social structures can pressure
individuals and nations toward moral compromise. Confronting evil must never
become a human boast; justice is God’s work, not a partisan trophy.
Our world
now trembles under the weight of nations behaving exactly as the Song of Moses
describes. Iran, China, and Russia project narratives of destiny, strength, and
inevitable triumph. Israel, the United States, and England—though different in
character and aims—also risk believing that their alliances, strategies, and
moral claims secure the future. CCC 2312–2314 reminds us that even in
geopolitical conflict, moral law binds all parties, and no nation may claim
divine sanction for its own power. Each bloc, in its own way, is tempted to
say, “Our hand will win.” Scripture warns that such confidence is the seed of
misinterpretation.
The significance of Deuteronomy 32 in this moment is not that it predicts specific nations, but that it exposes the spiritual dynamics beneath global conflict. Nations misread restraint as approval. They misread success as sovereignty. They misread their own strength as moral legitimacy. CCC 57 teaches that nations, like individuals, can fall into collective pride and confusion when they forget the Creator. The Song of Moses insists that God’s justice is never surrendered to human narratives. He restrains judgment so that neither aggressor nor defender may boast. He allows conflict to unfold, but He refuses to let any nation claim authorship of history.
To confront
evil in this world, whether authoritarian expansion, ideological oppression, or
destabilizing aggression—is to stand in the narrow space between courage and
humility. CCC 1807 defines justice as giving each his due, but CCC 2097 reminds
us that worship belongs to God alone, meaning no nation may exalt its own hand
as savior. The danger is not only in the ambitions of Iran, China, or Russia;
it is also in the temptation for Israel, the U.S., or England to believe that
their alliances guarantee righteousness. The Song of Moses cuts through every
illusion of national self‑sufficiency.
And so, the
ancient warning becomes a modern mirror: Beware the enemy’s boast, and beware
your own. Nations may rise, alliances may form, and evil may be confronted, but
the victory belongs to God alone. CCC 314 teaches that only in the end will the
full tapestry of God’s providence be revealed, and every false boast silenced.
In the Octave of the Assumption, Mary’s humility becomes the corrective to
national pride. Her triumph was not her hand but His. So too must ours be. The
world may tremble, but the narrative is not written by nations—it is written by
the Lord who refuses to let any hand, foreign or domestic, claim the glory that
belongs to Him alone.
30
Days of Women and Herbs – Frauendreissiger
Day 4 Groundpine (Lycopodium clavatum)
MEDICINAL PLANTS Day 4 Digestive System-Revealed by Heaven
to Luz De María
ROSEMARY Scientific name: Rosmarinus officinalis L. Family: Lamiaceae
Stimulates gastric and intestinal juices. Eliminates spasms, reduces gases,
colic and flatulence. Used in gallbladder conditions and dyspepsia.
Use mullein and rosemary in discreet amounts. Blessed Virgin Mary,
28.01.2016
Around the Corner
Bucket List trip[1]:
USA 70-degree year trip:
Week 4: Wild Shores & Hidden Chapels
Base: Pacific City or Lincoln City
Cape Kiwanda:
Windswept dunes, solitude, and maybe even some barefoot beach Lectio Divina.
Sitka Center for Art & Ecology: Check for contemplative art workshops or open studios.
Local Chapels: Look
for small Catholic churches along the way—each with its own faithful story.
Foodie-National Catfish Month
Spirit Hour: National Pinot Noir Day
10 coolest summer getaways in Arizona:
Mountains, lakes and a chilly cave trek
St. Anthony Novena 10-on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays.
Pray Day 3 of the Novena for our Pope and
Bishops
Religion in the Home for Preschool: August
Cultivate intelligent foresight in yourself
"Faith cannot save without virtue"
Daily Devotions
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Conversion of Sinners
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus
Rosary
[1] Schultz, Patricia. 1,000 Places to See Before You
Die: A Traveler's Life List Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
MADE FOR EACH OTHER (1939)
James Stewart • Carole Lombard • Charles Coburn Directed by John Cromwell • Produced by David O. Selznick A Marriage‑Born Crucible Where Ordinary Love Learns Extraordinary Endurance
Made for Each Other (1939) is a romance‑drama that refuses to be sentimental fluff. Its apartments, offices, kitchens, and hospital rooms become the stage for a deeper revelation: the sanctification of ordinary marriage through strain, sacrifice, and steadfast duty. Stewart’s John Mason is earnest, overworked, and underappreciated; Lombard’s Jane is hopeful, resilient, and quietly heroic. Their love is real — but reality tests it.
This is domestic cinema without glamour. The danger is discouragement. The fire is responsibility. The miracle is endurance.
🎞️ Film Card — Made for Each Other (1939)
Made for Each Other 1939 • 7.1/10 IMDb • 92 min
A young attorney and his new bride face financial strain, family tension, professional disappointment, and a life‑or‑death crisis that forces their love to mature from romance into resolve. RomanceDramaDomestic Struggle
Director John Cromwell Writer Jo Swerling Stars James Stewart, Carole Lombard, Charles Coburn Studio Selznick International Pictures
Notable Stewart’s earnest fragility; Lombard’s quiet strength; marriage as pilgrimage; crisis as purification.
1. Production & Cultural Setting
Depression‑Era Pressure Work is scarce; expectations are heavy.
Whirlwind Marriage Love chosen quickly, tested slowly.
Domestic Realism No glamour — only responsibility.
Maternal Tension A mother‑in‑law who strains the home.
Providence Through Crisis A mercy flight becomes the hinge of redemption.
2. Story Summary
The Marriage A sudden union full of promise.
The Strain Cancelled honeymoon, tight finances, professional setbacks.
The Fracture New Year’s Eve exhaustion and discouragement.
The Crisis Their infant son’s life hangs on a dangerous serum flight.
The Miracle The pilot crashes but survives; the child is saved.
The Restoration Love steadies; John is finally recognized.
3. Moral & Emotional Resonances
A. Ordinary Love Requires Extraordinary Endurance Romance is easy; fidelity is costly.
B. Duty Is the Backbone of Marriage Showing up matters more than feeling inspired.
C. Crisis Purifies Affection Pressure reveals what love is made of.
D. Providence Works Through Human Courage Grace arrives through grit.
E. Heaven Remembers Quiet Fidelity The world forgets; God does not.
4. Hospitality Pairing — A Tuesday of Strain
Smoke: Nicaraguan — earthy, calm, grounding.
Spirit: Wild Turkey 101 — strong, honest, unpretentious.
Atmosphere: A dim room, a tired heart, a sense of duty returning.
Symbol: A kitchen table — where ordinary love becomes holy.
5. Reflection Prompts
Where is my love being tested. Where must duty steady my affection. Where does discouragement tempt me to drift. Where is crisis purifying my resolve. Where does Heaven remember what others forget.
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